Your Body or Mine?
by HorizonCold
Summary: In a classic plot, Trowa and Heero trade bodies due to a botched mission, causing the former to learn a great deal about a fellow ex-pilot and about himself. Eventual 3x2.
1. Chapter 1

**Something about these overused plots is highly addictive. Like cheap chocolate or certain emerald-eyed pilots. Oooh, emerald-eyed pilots covered in chocolate….**

***ahem* No, I don't own Gundam Wing or Trowa Barton. But I do own plenty of cheap chocolate. That's something, right? **

**Not much Duo in this chapter, but he becomes very, very central later. Promise!**

Trowa pried the cap off the lime green bottle, sniffing the contents of its depths once the top had been successfully removed. The liquid smelled suspiciously similar to overripe fruit, but Catherine had guaranteed its success towards wooing women and homosexual males. _At least fighting as a pilot, you didn't have to worry what you smelled like. You were expected to reek. _

Checking himself in the mirror of his minuscule bathroom, he decided to dab the aftershave on his neck beneath his turtleneck. The bottle was returned to its home on the sink's rim as Trowa deemed himself ready. Ready to confess his feelings to the man he loved after running from his emotions for months.

Quatre Winner.

He picked up his cell phone as he shoved his feet in his boots and his keys in his jeans. Waiting in front of his door, he shifted his weight from leg to leg in nervousness as he waited for Quatre to pick up the line. The anxiety faded as soon a familiar cheerful voice replaced the droning rings. _No need to worry. We're supposed to be together. Best friends. Three and four. _"Hey. Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you, privately. I mean in person."

"Is everything alright?"

"Of course. It's just important. Are you too busy?"

"Not for the afternoon if you don't mind limiting conversation for an engagement I have this evening. If it's that important, do you want to wait until tomorrow? My whole day is free after work then."

"It shouldn't take long. Today is fine."

"I'll see you soon, then?"

"Definitely." With a light smile that refused to disappear, Trowa hung up the phone and quickly made his way to his crush. Driving up to the fence surrounding the Winner property fifteen minutes later, he decided to park on the street and leap over the wrought-iron spikes instead of waiting for clearance at the gate. The guards over the vid-screen always looked at him with disgust. Plus, the whole ordeal rubbed him the wrong way—too aristocratic, almost. Too rich. Why did an ex-terrorist need bodyguards anyway?

He led himself inside the unguarded side door, nearly hidden behind layers of twisting ivy. Fishing his keychain out of his pocket, he held the metal pieces tightly for a moment. He carried a special fondness for his keys. He needn't have many endearing household items, unless his cat could be included, but each of his keys carried a special meaning. One for the first house he ever owned, one for his old but beloved pick-up truck restored by his own hand, then one to each of his friends' places. Duo playfully titled their sharing of keys their personal "open-door policy," only "without the benefits." Trowa hoped soon he and Quatre wouldn't need separate keys. Or have any lack of benefits.

Once inside, he searched for his quarry, scouting the office first then the master bedroom. Quatre was lost in his closet, a space large enough to swallow both Trowa's kitchen and living room. Trowa knocked gently on the open door before stepping over a few discarded Armani suits. A frustrated blond popped out from behind a shoe rack, holding a few crumpled ties in his hands. "Oh, hi! Sorry, time got away from me. Obviously."

Trowa resisted a laugh at the heir's expense. "It's fine. You seem busy."

"Just getting ready for a date tonight. But you wanted to talk about something important?"

The speech he had planned conveniently decided to fly out of Trowa's head at this point, scattering out the closet's window into the sadistically bright sunlight outside. "You have a date? With one of the model trophies your sisters try to force on you, right?"

"Not this time, no."

"Then with who?"

With a small blush, Quatre smiled sheepishly. "Dorothy."

Trowa felt like someone had punched him in the gut, holding him up in the air with a heavy fist, not letting him go, not letting him breathe. "Catalonia?"

"That would be the only one with both know."

"But she's…she…You're really going out with her? On a date?"

With a long sigh, Quatre dropped the silk ties to the floor so he could place his hands on Trowa's thin shoulders. "I shouldn't have said anything now, not when you have something important of your own to discuss. But you're my best friend and I had this annoying, bubbling desire to tell you. I tell you everything." His wide blue-and-green eyes searched Trowa's hopefully. "I love her."

Jerking back out of Quatre's grasp, Trowa tried not to let his betrayal show on his face. _Shit, if he hadn't said anything…I would have looked like a fool! Jeez, Quat, I'm only crazy about you! How would you have reacted to that? Pity me? _"You've got to be kidding."

Quatre frowned, upset taking the place of hope. "You don't approve?" 

"How can you expect me to approve?! She stabbed you! She tried to kill you!"

Surprised at the taller man's uncharacteristic outburst, Quatre's voice went low and gentle, trying to sooth the sudden anger. "I nearly killed you once, but you forgave me. She deserves the same kindness you've shown to me."

"She wasn't _insane _when she hurt you!" Trowa knew the moment the word escaped his mouth he had gone too far, despite the truth in the statement. He could almost touch the grief radiating from his comrade's heart, but the sting in his own kept him from apologizing. "When have you even been spending time with her?"

"She needed a job and she's got a head for business. She's absolutely brilliant, Trowa. Her presence in my office has been—"

"Forget I asked." Quatre bit down on his bottom lip but Trowa saw the pink mouth tremble anyway. Guilt intertwined with the betrayal clenching his heart, now fragile since he had removed the walls around it with the help of the tearful man before him—ironically. "Dorothy means that much to you?" _Do you know how much you're hurting me? _

"I've never felt this way about a woman before. Will you…will you be able to talk to her? I want my girlfriend and my best friend to be friends too. I love you both so dearly."

_No, you don't. _"Don't expect me to befriend her, but I won't oppose your relationship with her. If she's what you want. She is what you want?"

"Yes." Quatre hugged Trowa in relief before starting to unbutton his crumbled lavender button-up shirt in exchange for a pressed white one. "I'm sorry again, I've been rude! What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Trowa averted his eyes. "It's not important." _Not anymore. _"You need to get ready, so I'm going home."

"Oh. You're sure?"

_Definitely. _Trowa rushed out of the mansion, not caring to avoid the surprised-looking guards on his way back to his truck. Once inside the safety of the heavy doors, he slammed his palms against the steering wheel, slumping against the dash with defeat. _How could I have been so wrong? I'm not a stupid person—there were signs! He lights up when he looks at me. He phones me at all hours of the night to tell me about his day. He'll take my arm when we go walking. He protects me. He played music with me. He returned to sanity for __**me.**_

To mock his misery, his cell rang happily from his passenger seat, dancing across the worn cloth in perky delight at receiving a call. He had dumped it there in his haste to run to Quatre. At the last ring before the voice message would answer, he picked up the device grumpily. "What now?"

A slight pause answered him, before Heero responded professionally, but not without a trace of concern in his normally steady voice. "We have a mission. You're my gun."

_Good. A distraction away from all this emotional crap. _"Give me half an hour to get there." Trowa checked in the toolbox under his seat for his firearm, making sure it was fully loaded before heading towards Preventers headquarters. He knew he should be insulted playing sidekick to Heero simply because the ex-pilot of Wing refused to kill again _and _stop mission work at the same time. Trowa had no problem continuing to take the lives of those who disturbed the peace he helped create.

But the fact he was again used for his murdering prowess instead of his piloting or mechanical skills made him feel like a soldier-for-hire again.

Heero was waiting for him in the briefing area after Trowa clocked in and changed to uniform in his office. "What exactly is this about?"

"A laboratory in former Europe has been conducting illegal genetic experiments on live humans. They claimed to have discovered a breakthrough in altering DNA, but when they were punished for their crimes, refused to offer their results."

"And now they are threatening important political figures and Preventer agents in the name of revenge?"

"Correct."

"And we're to break in to download their scientific research without detection?"

"Also correct."

Trowa felt slightly higher in spirits when he realized the distant location meant an unusual form of transportation. "Can I pilot the jet?"

"Only if I can fly it back."

"Deal."

Finding a place to land near the coordinates of the laboratory wasn't particularly difficult, and they made the rest of the way quickly on foot. The genetic-research company had desired privacy, so the lab was graciously away from other buildings and civilian residences. For Trowa, that equaled a decreased possibility for causalities.

Sneaking in the back door with a replicated pass key, the agents deftly traveled through the halls, searching for the computer database and avoiding detection rather unnecessarily.

"No-one's here."

"That we can see."

"Come on, Heero, you called me in for nothing. You don't need a bodyguard to run through a bunch of empty rooms." To prove his point, Trowa stepped out into the middle of what seemed to be the main lobby, guiding Heero out of the shadows with him. To prove him wrong—the current theme of the day—the floor gave way beneath them, knocking them to the tile as they plummeted ten stories below ground in a hidden elevator.

"Well, shit. Again."

Heero stood up, attempting to pry open the metal doors facing them before sniffing the air. "What is that smell?"

"I don't smell anything."

"It's akin to fruit. Bad fruit. Some type of gas?"

"Cologne. A gift from Catherine."

"…I wouldn't suggest wearing it again."

"Pay attention to the matter at hand, Yuy. The doors are opening."

Blue eyes snapped to the doors as they indeed parted, revealing a large room, just as empty as the others with no exit. Trowa stepped forward first, scanning the area with his gun ready just to make sure. The ground beneath him was also metal, as were the lower halves of the four walls surrounding him. The rest of the walls were composed of a dark glass. He beckoned Heero to join him. "Two-way mirrors. Guess we're not alone after all."

"Question being, what are they holding us for?"

"Question being, what in the hell are they waiting for? We're not going anywhere."

Heero suddenly turned and caught a second dart in his right hand as it flew from the opposite wall, only to grunt in displeasure when another entered the flesh of his left shoulder. Trowa pulled it out before it could empty completely, comparing it to the one found in his own skin. "They're the same except for the encoded numbers. A001 on mine and A003 on yours."

Glancing at the dart he caught, Heero frowned. "This is also A003. The liquid is clear and thick, but obviously not instantaneous in bringing about sudden demise."

"They think we're lab rats." Trowa raised his gun at the wall appearing to be the source of the annoying darts. "They should have known better." He sent three bullets into the glass, listening as each hit a solid object beyond and weakened the glass by creating substantial white spider-web patterns in the mirrors. Using Heero as an unsuspecting but unsurprised leverage point, he jumped and hurled himself at the damaged glass, rolling into the room beyond.

The rest of his bullets were spent taking down the wide-eyed and unarmed scientists. Heero climbed up when the shooting stopped, targeting an operative computer and expertly hacking into the system. "Look around and see what else you can find."

Trowa did as he was told, turning over bodies and scouring cabinets while Heero inserted a disk into the computer and downloaded its contents. "So much for not being detected. Hey, I got a briefcase here full of the same darts."

"How many?"

"Including the ones we've handled, ten. All labeled A001 to A005, two for each code." _How uncanny. Please be a stupid coincidence. _

Heero pocketed the disk and took the briefcase. "Good. I've got the elevator rigged to go back up in thirty seconds. The less chaos we create on the way out, the better."

"What did Duo tell you once? It's always the quiet ones?"

"That was before he heard you snore."

"Just get in the elevator, Yuy."

Reaching headquarters safely, they reported to the medical unit to undergo a few standard tests required after being injected with a foreign substance on a mission. _I've got to stop working in places that list crap like this in the employee handbook. _After being released, they were called into the organization's president's office to hand over the briefcase and the disk.

Trowa always derived some amusement from the president of their Preventer division, a former Alliance captain handpicked by Lady Une after she left the position to spend more time with Kushrenada's daughter. Parkinson was a massive, muscular man with an equally massive handlebar mustache, all crammed behind a desk crafted for a woman of Une's stature. Each time Parkinson would bark an order or punch his fist in the air to emphasize a point in his speeches, the rolling chair he was jammed into would threaten to burst with a warning creak. Parkinson often liked to bark orders and make redundant points.

"Gentlemen, on behalf of the Preventers, I apologize for any inconvenience you experienced during your mission."

Trowa held back a sharp reply, years of practice keeping his face impassive. _Inconvenience? You had us walk straight into a trap! Oh, the chair squeaked again…I hope it breaks. Right now._

"We have our top scientists working on the information you delivered. According to the medical unit, there is nothing detectibly wrong with either of you, so I expect you'll be satisfied with being sent home. Until we find out what effect that compound had, you are both absolutely forbidden to discuss the incidents of the mission with anyone but me and each other. The ones responsible don't need any more publicity and we certainly don't want any rumors of agent failure floating around. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir!" they chorused together, a habit not lost after the war.

"Good. Dismissed."

_I've got to start working in places that care more. _They filed out of the room, shutting the door and the brewing captain behind them. As they clocked out and returned to the garage, Heero glanced over at his departing partner, apparently not having forgotten Trowa's earlier melancholy. He gently clasped Trowa's elbow within a strong hand before the latter climbed into his pick-up. "You okay? It's not like you to be reckless out in the field."

Trowa got the feeling his friend was not referring to any negative effects resulting from the mission. "No. Don't want to talk about it, though. I'm sorry if my recklessness put you in danger."

"Don't worry about it. Headed home?"

"Yeah. All I want is to hit the pillow and not wake up until tomorrow evening."

"We have lunch tomorrow at Wufei's, remember?"

"Grand." _This day just keeps getting better and better. What's next, my flesh is going to start corroding thanks to that stupid dart? Have my death labeled as a result of a workplace 'inconvenience'? _Trowa pulled out of the hold on his arm."Thanks, Heero. See you then."

The gunless perfect soldier waved his goodbye, exiting the Preventers building to return home. Trowa's chest burned unpleasantly with envy when he remembered Heero had a lover waiting in his bed. As Trowa literally kicked his truck to life, he wished Quatre would be waiting with the same worried devotion for him. He had always waited with hitched breath for Quatre's call when the Arabian returned home from a business trip.

His small house seemed suddenly more cramped than usual when no-one greeted him with a warm embrace. Reaching into the near-empty depths of the cabinet under his kitchen sink, he groped around for a smuggled bottle a whiskey Duo got him for a housewarming gift. Smearing away some of the dust, he realized that although he had only worked through the spout of the bottle in four months, the rest of the bottle was going to disappear a lot quicker.

Pouring an ample amount of the amber liquid in a shot glass, he was silently grateful he never picked up the common mercenary trait of having high alcohol tolerance. Or a medium level tolerance, for that matter. He figured one shot would be enough to knock him out. The glass traveled with him into the bedroom where he shed his dirty uniform on the floor and turned down his already unmade bed.

He waited until his cat Mayhem curled up on her side of the bed, rubbing her long grey fur absently as she stretched out next to the spare pillow. "Guess you'll get to keep your spot, girl. At least you're here with me." Sliding in-between his sheets which needed to be washed, he slung back the shot of whiskey, hoping for a dreamless sleep and a late arriving morning. The glass hit the carpeted floor with a muffled thud as he sunk away from reality.

**The end of chapter one! The next chapter will be more eventful. And less sad. Trowa's going to wake up with a wee surprise…**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter was way too hard to write. And it's only the second installment. Rated for language and peevish Trowa. Because the man can bring forth attitude problems—remember his smart mouth during the Antarctica episodes? Tsk, tsk, pretty emerald-eyed one. **

Trowa woke up without opening his eyes, confused about the physical sensations flooding his body. The sheets wrapped around his waist weren't gritty and the mattress felt softer than normal. His cat wasn't curled around his head. There was no headache which usually pounded within his skull after drinking whiskey, no grogginess weighing down his limbs due to the alcohol. And he was pretty damn sure someone was licking his chest. "Quat…?"

A high-pitched giggle escaped in the region of his thighs, which he noticed were not covered in his boxers as they should have been. "Good morning, love. Care to have a repeat of last night before you leave?"

_Repeat? I got laid? That's not Quatre's voice. _Wrenching open his eyes, Trowa lifted his head and looked towards his feet, curious as to who was the effeminate-sounding male he apparently drowned his heartbreak in the night before. "Gaah! Relena?!"

Trowa rudely shoved the former ruler of the world off of him. _No, no, no, no!_ He jumped out of the bed and promptly fell over, scrambling on the floor like a dog to reach the bathroom. Sitting up on his knees, he slammed the door and clicked the lock to keep the crazed stalker on the outside of his designated fortress. _Alright, analyze the situation. Okay, __**breathe **__and analyze the situation. I'm in Heero's house. Heero's girl made a move on me. I feel nauseated and off-balance. I'm naked. I feel asleep drunk after the mission. What happened between then and right now? _

Calming down slightly, he decided the best way to find answers would be to get off the marble tiles and find some clothes. Standing up, he wavered on his feet. _This is the weirdest hangover I've ever had. I feel…short. _Searching for and flicking on the bathroom light, he shook his aching head and glanced at himself in the mirror. 

His world stopped.

He was Heero.

A soft knock sounded behind him as he gaped at his reflection, patting down what continued to be Heero's body. "Honey? Are you sick?"

_The genetics lab! This has to be related to them somehow. Those darts were related to the five of us. So if I look like Heero, then he must look like me. How strange…Heero's hair, his eyes, his arms, his chest, his abs, his…Clothes! Where are the clothes? _"Uh…Miss Relena? Can you get me something to wear? And shoes? Just lay them in front of the bathroom, please."

"Here you go."

Trowa edged open the door, grabbing the clothing hurriedly before Relena could see him naked again. His body or not, the concept was still humiliating. Dressing rapidly, he crept into the bedroom, slapping a hand over Prussian orbs when he got an eyeful of naked Relena waiting for him. "Where are his keys? My keys?"

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Incredibly gentle and delicate hands reached for his face. _Heero's face. My face? I'm using it, so it's mine for now. _He pushed the hands away, taking a deep breath to sound composed so he would not inspire Relena to call for help.

"I need to see Trowa. It's critically important. Please trust me." _I barely know you, but trust me._

"I do." She wrapped a sheet around her, the cloth trailing her into the foyer where she picked up a keychain from a desk, dangling it in front of her lover's nose. "Take the bike. It's faster than my car."

Trowa grabbed the keys. "This may sound odd to you, but know that Heero is as lucky a heterosexual man can get. Thanks."

A few minutes and several broken speed limits later, Trowa stomped up to his door in uncomfortable and clunky yellow boots. He grumbled with increasing irritation when he tried to get in with Quatre's key on Heero's keychain, instinct telling him to use the fourth one after the Preventer's pass-card. _I can't believe this! He actually put our keys in numerical order! _When located, Heero was sitting very calmly at Trowa's desk in Trowa's clothes, reviewing mission information on Trowa's computer.

"Heero? What's going on? You are Heero, right?"

Heero shrugged, talking as if they were discussing the new coffee machine in the employee lounge. "Of course. We switched bodies."

"That is humanly impossible and you know it! We need to talk to headquarters. Maybe they know what's going on."

"Already contacted. They are working on analyzing the compound we were injected with, as well as chasing any scientist that worked on the project that you didn't kill yesterday. And we're undergoing more medical tests tomorrow, so don't make any plans. It would be today, but they want to know what to look for."

"You've done all this? How long have you been awake? I came over as soon as I woke up." Not knowing the current time, Trowa glanced at the time on the screen over Heero's shoulder, surprised to discover it was already nearly noon. "It's almost time to go to Wufei's."

"While whatever drink you disgraced yourself with last night kept me under until the late morning—thanks for the hangover, by the way—my activities with Relena were obviously more tiring."

"Ugh. Please don't mention her. I never want to wake up with a naked woman on top of me again."

Heero's words came out low, but not seeming as threatening as Trowa would have liked to hear his own voice be. "What exactly happened between you and my girlfriend?"

"Nothing, unless you count me screaming and running to the bathroom to be a bad thing."

"That's worse. Now she thinks I'm upset with her."

Trowa's retort failed to make it out as he watched Mayhem enter the room, bypassing him to rub against Heero. As trivial the action was, Trowa couldn't help but feel betrayed, and so decided to change the subject back to more important matters. "How are we supposed to keep the genetic experiment a secret if we're in each other's bodies?"

"We have to assume each other's identities. We'll probably make mistakes, but no-one is actually going to seriously guess at the truth."

"Good point, but you really think it's going to be that simple?"

"We don't have a choice. But as an added precaution, I won't be joining you and the others at lunch today. We need time to get used to each other's bodies and grow accustomed to our traded identities. Plus, I want to review the rest of these files."

"Alright, fine—send me into the fire alone. Since you're always early, I'll go ahead and leave now for Wufei's. See you tomorrow…Barton." _If this nightmare doesn't end before then._

When Trowa entered Wufei's home, he adamantly wished he had remained with Heero. Dorothy was hanging onto Quatre's arm in the Chinese man's dining room, smiling down at her boyfriend while he stared adoringly up at her. _What is __**she**__ doing here? Our get-togethers are supposed to be for us only. She's invading my life for the second time._

Wufei offered him a plate after politely asking him to remove his shoes in the house, a foreign courtesy to Trowa which Heero never would have forgotten. "Sorry. It's been a long day already. Am I the last one here?"

"Surprisingly, everyone's early except for Trowa."

"Do you know if he's coming, Heero?" Quatre turned his gaze to the floor, his bright blue-and-green eyes overcast with sadness. "He ran out on me yesterday when I told him about my relationship with Dorothy. I'm afraid he doesn't approve. None of us have heard from him since."

"No. He's not coming."

Trowa saw the woman in question squeeze Quatre's arm in a token of comfort. A burning sensation filled the back of his throat when she spoke up. "I baked all his favorite food here for him today, hoping it would be a peace offering."

_Did everyone know but me? For how long? Do they know how I care about him? _"We had a mission last night. He's staying home not because of you, but because the exertion made him sick." Ignoring how everyone else in the room collectively frowned, he began to eat without further explanation.

He froze when Dorothy laid a hand over his. "If you can't talk about a mission in front of me, I can leave for a moment."

"The mission is classified to everyone but me and H—Trowa. So drop it."

Despite all the problems which went hand-in-hand with being in Heero's body, Trowa had to admit that Heero was the most suitable of trades for him. He wasn't expected to talk unless asked a direct question and he had spent enough time healing Heero to know how the Japanese ex-pilot moved physically. After testily closing the topic of the mission, everyone left him alone and he was able to dine without suspicion.

The highlight of the meal in his opinion was when Dorothy accidentally tripped over Wufei's dog, a female hound he was graciously housing while she was being taught to sniff out illegal drugs by Preventer trainers. Although he was not likely to admit it, Wufei had bonded with he animal, and Trowa was abnormally disposed to like the canine as she sent Dorothy sprawling to the ground. When they had gathered outside in Wufei's driveway to depart, Trowa took the liberty to ask a question while Dorothy went back inside for her forgotten purse. "How's the bitch?"

"She's licking her wounds in the pen out back."

"Funny, I wasn't talking about the dog."

"Heero!"

Trowa mentally kicked himself, having forgotten whose body he was currently occupying, but somehow grateful the blame fell on Heero instead of himself. _At least there's one benefit to all this. No-one will suspect 'Trowa' of moping over a certain wealthy Arabian. _"You try and sit through one of her and Relena's little sleepovers, Quatre."

As Duo swung an arm around his 'borrowed' shoulders, Trowa tensed under the unfamiliar contact. Although Duo would often hug or play-fight with the other ex-pilots, he would noticeably avoid touching the former acrobat. Trowa suspected it may be a result from his destruction of Deathscythe during his infiltration at OZ. "Someone's grumpy 'cause they can't have sex while an extra girl's in the house."

"Get off of me."

Duo kept his arm right where it was. "Oh, relax. I was just kidding. You still coming over to play video games tonight, right?"

"Oh, um, right." _Great. I've never played video games before. Maybe I should find an excuse not to go. Duo and I aren't exactly close. Then again, it'll get me away from Relena…Video games it is. _"What time again?"

"Seven as always, buddy. I'll order the chow."

"Chow?"

"Food! We can have Chinese since 'Fei skimped out on us."

"Shut up, Maxwell. It was difficult enough to let a woman take over my kitchen when it was my turn to cook."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, uh-huh, very chivalrous of you. So, catch you tonight, Heero?"

Trowa took a minute to remember he was the one being addressed. "Yeah…right. Tonight. See you then. See everybody else later." Waving good-bye to the group to a symphony of "Goodbye, Heero," he departed on the dirt bike. Not wanting to return to Relena's questioning or sexual advances, he drove around the town, waiting until it was time to meet up with Duo. He dreaded the encounter almost as much as he dreaded sleeping next to the vice foreign minister again. With any of their other shared friends, acting like Heero wouldn't be difficult. He knew enough about them and about how Heero interacted with him to play the part.

Most of the time, they all went out as a group—eating, weekend road trips, goofing off in one of their homes after work. They each had a role in the Preventer's organization which, from acting as agents to playing a vital political character. Still, they set up specific times to bond in pairs to strengthen each thread of friendship for its unique worth. Wufei was teaching Trowa marital arts once a week, demonstrating to the once nameless man the elegance of the strict rules in the form over the bloody free-for-all found in street fighting. Heero and Trowa often went roughing in the woods overnight, carrying nothing which wouldn't fit in their pockets.

With Quatre, there was less physical activity and more conversation, mostly on the blonde's behalf. Trowa understood his best friend's need to have someone to pour his problems onto after hours of pretending to be the perfect corporate heir. Trowa was more than happy to offer an open ear. It made him feel needed, important. Like he could finally offer something to this young millionaire that no-one else could. It made him feel loved.

If there was a good movie playing at the cinema, Duo would call Trowa and they'd watch it together. None of the other ex-pilots seemed to appreciate the thrill of a front row seat, even if action effects on screen fail to be technically correct. But good movies only came along about once every month and talking isn't encouraged in the theater. They rarely even took the extra time to buy popcorn.

Heero and Duo apparently played video games. Heero and Duo were also incredibly close. _This is never going to work. _

Unlike Trowa's house in the near-rural suburbs, Duo's place was located in the heart of the urban city, fifteen floors up in an apartment building specifically designated for Preventers workers. Although Trowa had considered living there for a time, he decided he wanted to finally be to able to separate his job from his home life. However, he always enjoyed the night skyline view from Duo's windows.

At fifteen minutes to seven, he took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor, locating the familiar gold numbers '1518' against beige paint. Finding Duo's door hazardously unlocked, he peeked in and was shocked at the complete mess presented before him. Every time beforehand when he had visited Duo's home, it had been relatively clean. He took a moment to study the muddy footprints in the navy rug. Somehow, he felt more comfortable with everything chaotic. Reminded him of his ruined carpet. "Hey. Where are you?"

"In here!" Trowa followed the loud voice and cautiously walked into Duo's kitchen and dining area. Duo smiled and slapped him on Heero's powerfully built shoulder. "What have you been up to since this afternoon?"

"Um, food? You said something earlier about food."

"Yep! Got you the best—fried rice with shrimp."

_I hate shrimp. Does being in Heero's body mean that I have his taste preferences too? _"Thanks." He took the white box Duo handed out to him, glaring at the chopsticks in a mixture of curiosity and hatred. _How in the hell are these supposed to work? _"Can I have a fork, actually? I'm still tired after last night's mission." _Great excuse, Barton. Heero's so tired he can't use the utensils he grew up with?_

"No prob. Still can't spare me any details about what went down? You're jumpier than usual and it isn't like Tro to get sick."

Trowa followed the bouncy Shinigami back into the latter's living room. "You're asking me to break regulations?"

Duo shrugged, plopping down on his couch with his dinner. "Asking for a little gossip isn't against the rules."

"Yes it is. Don't pry." Trowa took the seat beside him, trying not to cross his legs as that would be very unlike Heero Yuy. Stabbing into his box with a fork, he gagged on the piece of seafood cautiously placed his mouth. Although the taste wasn't bad like normal, the texture and the idea of little shrimp eyes pleading for mercy made him sick to his stomach. Duo pounded on his comrade's back as Trowa spit the food into his napkin.

"You okay, buddy?"

"Wrong pipe." Avoiding the pieces of shrimp, Trowa ate his rice in what he hoped was comfortable silence as Duo devoured chicken dripping with a strange yellow sauce. Once they were done, the braided agent threw their containers behind the sofa unceremoniously. Trowa nearly smiled over the careless action, glad he wasn't the messiest of the gundam pilots.

"So, how's Relena doing?"

The almost-smile transformed into a shudder. _Lovely conversation starter. Well, she's not going to be 'doing' her boyfriend for a long time, how's that? _"Same as usual. What video game did you have in mind for tonight?"

Duo slid to the floor in front of his television, rummaging through a pile of games and movies before picking out a few. "How about one of these? Good old-fashioned racing in flashy cars I'll never own?"

"Whatever you want." Duo offered him a controller as the game started up, and he glared at it with the same content he felt for the chopsticks. A joystick he could easy figure out after years of piloting different suits, but this looked like a board with bright pieces of candy stuck to it. "You know what? I'll just watch you play."

"You're that worn out? Gives me more bad vibes about your mission." Duo absently chewed on his lip for a minute as he pondered. "Did it have to do with the DNA lab? It's been throwing up some major red flags lately."

Trowa wasn't sure whether to silently praise Duo for being so easy-going, or to throttle him for being so perceptive. "I can't tell you that! How about we forget the videogames and simply talk? How has your week been?"

Duo snorted. "You really want to hear about my week? You know who it's all going to be about." He dramatically clasped his hands together beneath his chin, fluttering his eyelashes. "My true love."

_What have I gotten myself into? Why couldn't I have just avoided the stupid dart? Better yet, why didn't the stupid dart kill me? _"Sure."

Duo dropped his hands, looking at 'Heero' suspiciously. "You're acting weird."

"Humor me."

"Why? Have you talked to him? Has he said anything about me? Was it bad? It was bad, wasn't it?"

'_Him'? Duo's bisexual? I thought he was dating Hilde. _"Relax. Nothing was said."

"Oh, well, no news is good news, I guess. I want to call him, to make sure he's doing better. Are you positive it was the mission that made him sick? Quatre was worried about him being upset over Dorothy. But that wouldn't be enough to keep Trowa home, right?"

"Why would I—wait a second. You're in love with Trowa?"

"Well, _duh_. You know that."

"Stop kidding around." _A prankster to the end, Duo? _

Duo glared, chugging down the remains of a soda can Trowa guessed had been placed on the coffee table hours before he arrived. "Shut up. I'm not going to talk to you if you're listening only to make fun of me."

"Come on. You're really in love with him?"

"Well, it's not like I want to be! Do you have any idea how it feels to love somebody who thinks you're an idiot?"

"He doesn't think you're an idiot. He doesn't know you well enough to think you're an idiot."

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better." Duo sighed, burying his head in his hands for a moment before pulling his legs up unto the couch, wrapping his arms around them. "He's so graceful, you know? He never makes a mistake."

"Trust me, yes he does." _Almost made the biggest mistake of my life yesterday. _

"Doesn't seem like it. Even on Peacemillion when his memory was gone, he fought like a pro. A confused pro, but a pro."

"What about when he went to protect the colony when Zech's real target was earth? Or when you saw him at the circus before Quatre did?"

Duo smiled wistfully, his eyes closing as if he was playing the memories in his mind. A soundless sigh pressed through his lips, making Trowa fear what he was going to say next. "He was protecting his sister, not the colony. He was weak when I saw him because he nearly died trying to save his friends. Those aren't mistakes. It just goes to prove how kind he is."

_He's not kidding. _"Shit."

Duo's eyes flew open, studying the Japanese man beside him with alarm. "You okay? You're pretty pale. Do you have the same thing Trowa's got?"

"I do feel rather sick. Yes, sick would be a good word for how I feel right now. Sorry, but I think I need to go."

"It's okay, bud. Thanks for coming over anyway even though you felt bad. And thanks for listening. I know it gets on your nerves when I go on and on."

"We'll talk more about it later, I promise. We've got to get you over him before something bad happens."

Duo smiled again, his surprise as clear as his pleasure. "You're a pal, Heero. See you Monday."

"See you Monday."

The drive from Duo's apartment to Trowa's house was not a long one if driven at ninety miles per hour on a bike secretly juiced with illegal modifications. If Heero was startled by Trowa's sudden presence in the kitchen, he didn't allow the green eyes he was using show it. "Shouldn't you be getting home? Relena's probably waiting for me by now."

Trowa used the power in Heero's sculpted arms to haul his own slender body up in the air and against the wall by the turtleneck collar. "Why didn't you tell me Duo's in love with me?!"

"You never asked."

"This is insane!"

"No, it's not."

"Do you care to explain it to me, then? That would be a nice gesture right about now!"

"If you put me down. Your body bruises easily."

Trowa pouted, but dropped his friend from the hold. "…Does not." He walked to his kitchen and sat at the table, groaning with added displeasure once he noticed Heero had scrubbed the room clean. "How could this have happened?"

Heero straightened out the turtleneck he was wearing before also sitting down, stretching his new long legs up onto another chair. "I'm surprised you never noticed before. His affections for you are obvious."

"Not true. Wait, did everyone know but me?"

"Yes."

_Fantastic. Is this why Quatre never pursued a romantic relationship with me? Because he was afraid of hurting Duo? Or is that my wishful thinking? _"How long?"

"Since we all started talking again after the Barton incident. You're a loving person and you share a similar type of background with him. He became intrigued by your gentleness and has grown concerned over your growing unhappiness lately."

"Heero, I'm a selfish bastard and I have nothing in common with him. And I haven't been unhappy lately." _Just since yesterday. Right? _

"You are not, you do too, and yes you have." Heero pulled back the long bangs hindering his sight, only to have them fall back in place immediately afterward. "We've all been worried. You've been reckless, irritable, and demonstrating low self-esteem."

"We're supposed to be talking about Duo, remember? Not my mental well being. Why didn't he tell me? It's not like our friendship would be hurt. We hardly have a friendship as it is. He barely even talks to me or touches me."

"For being extroverted and blunt in nature, he's afraid of admitting his affections for you. He's not wrong for believing you would directly reject him. To be fair, you haven't tried hard to get to know him."

Guilt threatened to tear through Trowa's indignation. "Since when did you turn into a relationship counselor? Not like you're expertly in tune with all your emotions."

"As I said—irritable."

"Is my whiskey still here?"

"No."

"That was a gift from Duo, actually."

"He'll manage."

"Can I at least sleep in my own bed tonight?"

"If you call Relena and kindly tell her that 'Trowa' is not feeling well and needs 'you' to take care of him."

"Fine."

"And you must tell her you love her."

_I had better days when I was on OZ's most wanted list. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the lateness, but the building in which I am currently residing is undergoing renovations, which means my life is now as chaotic as my living quarters. Yay fresh paint and unsoiled carpets? **

**Thanks to all reviewers! I send the chibi-pilot of your choice to hug ye all! **

**By the way, I know nothing about genetics or DNA or brain matter. My forte is literature. So if this all sounds suspiciously like fabricated doggie-doo, that's because it is fabricated doggie-doo.**

Trowa Barton was in a foul mood. Throughout the morning, he had been unclothed by a stranger, prodded with cold fingers, poked with various needles, scanned by harsh lights, scrutinized like a freak show, forced to answer stupid questions, talked over like he didn't exist, and monitored while performing on exercise equipment. He had also scowled at his doctor, punched the idiot who tried to pull off his boxers, insulted his nurses, sarcastically responded to the stupid questions, and attempted to pull off Heero's glare.

When the tests were finally completed, Trowa hastily found the stored green tank top and light blue jeans, curling up on one of the couches in the waiting area tightly. _It's my body! They have no right to touch it! Well, it's not __**really **__my body, but the concept is still the same. I'm not an experiment. I'm a living person. With boundaries. _

Heero joined him a few minutes later, tugging at the collar of a dark blue turtleneck. He carefully sat down next to the lump on the couch. "Not used to being touched?"

"You weren't either before Relena."

"They didn't examine mercenaries before they joined?"

"The questions 'Can you shoot?' and 'Can you hit what you shoot at?' sufficed. Not like we had the equipment to examine anyone anyway."

"What about the circus?"

"I stuck my hand in the lion's cage and the lion rubbed against it. I was hired. How are you taking this so well?"

"You get used to medical tests while training under Doctor J."

Trowa frowned in sympathy, suddenly finding the benefits to growing up as a nameless solider instead of as a perfect one. "If I ever see him again, I'll kill him for you."

Heero smiled slightly, with amusement or bitterness Trowa didn't know. "No need. The purpose was fulfilled. We were successful."

They stood at attention when Parkinson burst into the room, followed by a young petite woman in a white lab-coat. Nearly hidden in the large president's shadow, the woman adjusted her glasses while flipping through pages attached on her clipboard.

"Gentlemen."

"Sir!"

Parkinson gestured to the woman. "Thank-you for joining us on your day off. This is Jacqueline Banks, our head scientist and renowned geneticist. She'll be explaining the process behind your condition." He laid his massive hand on her petite shoulder with a broad smile. "Don't be fooled by her youth—she's outwitted geniuses three times her age!"

_We saved humanity when we were fifteen, then went on to pull tyranny out of the clutches of a seven-year-old. Yes boss, age happens to be a huge factor for us. Why don't you tell her to leave and replace her with someone just as close-minded as you?_

Jacqueline shrugged off the praise and the hand casually. "Sorry we could not meet under more pleasant circumstances, although not many would be more interesting. According to the disk you recovered at the laboratory, you have not traded minds or bodies as would be suggested in popular media. The DNA coding in Mr. Yuy has been altered to imitate Mr. Barton's and vice versa."

"You're telling me I'm not Trowa in Heero's body? That I'm Heero with Trowa's DNA?"

"That would be the easiest description to offer, yes. The only areas of your DNA not altered would be those tied directly to physical appearance. The areas of the brain relating to memory were also altered so that the replicated information from the other man would be dominant over your natural memories. Quite an achievement in genetics unparalleled in history, despite hundreds of years of research. DNA sequences for a single trait, such as shyness or intelligence, are highly complex and could stretch on for miles. To copy a person's entire personality is extraordinary."

_If I had identity issues before, this takes the cake. Who's soul am I carrying, his or mine? Did I have a soul? Is a soul embedded in DNA? _"Why did we get all these tests run if you already knew all this from the disk?"

"Because we need the updated information if we are to reverse your situation."

"When exactly is that reverse going to happen?" _I want my body back. My legs, my hair, my eyes, my height._

"We're estimating ten days. You have to wait until we can replicate the procedure."

Trowa was filled with the desire to throw the couch cushions at Banks in objection. "There were other darts. Why not use them?"

"The compound injected into your bloodstream at the laboratory only targeted the DNA sequences for personality and inherent talent. What you both failed to notice what occurred after the mission. You separately underwent a second injection to transfer memory and to activate the compound for the 'switch' as you may incorrectly call it."

Heero spoke up in stern disagreement. "A second injection is not possible. We remember everything that occurred before we slept."

Jacqueline gave them a rather pointed look over her clipboard.

A weight seemed to hit Trowa in the stomach, dread spreading over him with sudden realization. "They know where we live, don't they? They've been watching us, gathering our DNA, waiting for us to enter their territory."

Parkinson nodded, not as concerned about the protection of his agents as with the protection of his corporation. "All the more incentive to make them believe the injections failed by keeping the transformation quiet."

"Relena was beside me all night. She would have heard something if they came into our house. She's a light sleeper."

Catching the wave of panic in Heero's voice no-one besides his friends could have heard, Trowa spoke softly, hoping to provide comfort. "She was exhausted, just as you were."

"They could have hurt her."

"Heero, their objective wasn't to hurt us or anyone we love." _Though it might be now that I killed a handful of them. _

"What were they hoping to prove by doing this? Why us?"

"The gundam pilots stand for change, for revolution. The world and the colonies know who you are. What could be more influential than using idols from the past to represent a new future brought about by their own hand?"

Trowa tried not to gag over the superficial emotionality in his superior's little speech. "What if they try to perform the experiment again on someone else?"

"Within reason, they might have. But our job is to make sure they are caught and to eliminate all the records once we fix you two. Now if you'll excuse us gentlemen, we have plenty of work ahead of us."

Dismissed again from the building with demands of secrecy, Heero and Trowa rested on the tailgate of the latter's truck. The garage was empty of other ears, only a few automobiles weighing down the concrete. "It's embarrassing to use the restroom now."

"Your bang might not make it ten days."

"Your girlfriend licked me."

"Your cat licked me."

"Mayhem's mouth is cleaner than Relena's."

"Relena doesn't smell like fish."

"How could switching bodies bring about a new future?"

"World takeover would be simple if you could enter the minds of world leaders without detection. With the most powerful bodies in the world and colonies striving for one goal, there could be little resistance without another war. You could also deny your own body by becoming anyone you wanted to be. The weak could be strong without exercising, the handicapped could be ordinary, the homely could fit into the mainstream. All that would be required is a willing mind to trade with or an unwilling mind to take over."

"Not a future I'd want."

"No. Do you want a ride back?"

"I'll walk. There's a lot to think about."

"True."

They sat in silence for a moment, minds heavy with the repercussions of all they had learned that morning. If a handful of scientists tracked down and spied on the infamous gundam pilots without detection, who else was out there doing the same? How much at risk were their friends, their families, their homes? All they had gained after years of suffering? Trowa joined their hands together, strangely feeling the coldness of his own fingers underneath the strong ones he was controlling. "Be careful."

Heero returned the grasp tightly, understanding the importance of the action. Mercenaries only shake hands for money or with men they trust. "You too."

Turning away and jumping down, Trowa began the slow journey back to Heero's house on foot, walking slowly across pavement and sidewalk. If those riding along the busy streets recognized the image of their war champion, the young man responsible for their freedom, they didn't slow their cars or shout from their windows. As the buildings and noise of the busy city faded behind him, Trowa wondered if they no longer cared, or if they just didn't want to remember. _Parkinson was wrong—we don't represent anything to the public now that the war's over. Well, I still admire you, Heero Yuy. Though I'll be damned before I let you know that. _

He slumped through the front door over an hour later, his borrowed arms now sore from the nurses' earlier attempts to locate a vein. _A genetic transformation sequence they can unravel in a day, but a blood vessel they have problems finding. Remind me never to get shot under their care._ He sighed deeply as he found a pile of lavender-colored suitcases piled in the hallway, pink ribbons tied on their handles. "Relena? Is everything alright?"

A smiling head poked itself out from the bedroom. "Oh, you're home! I was hoping I could talk to you before I left."

Trowa nudged a large duffel bag with the tip of Heero's shoe. "Are you moving out? If you're mad or something, we can at least talk about it first." _He's going to kill me. _

Relena giggled and threw her hands around her lover's neck, making Trowa attempt to step backwards without seeming rude. "Do I seem angry? Upset?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Don't be silly! Speaking of questions though, I do have a very important one to ask and you must be completely honest or I'll take desperate measures to find my answer."

"Go ahead. I promise to be as honest as I can without breaking Preventer orders."

"Are you Trowa or Duo?"

Trowa could have sworn someone just dunked him in a tub of cold water, so thorough was his shock. "W-what?"

"You obviously aren't my Heero. You were shocked to see me yesterday morning, called me 'Miss,' and were embarrassed over our lack of clothing. Not many know about mine and Heero's relationship, so you had to be someone relatively familiar with both of us to know his keys would be in my home. You also knew went to find Trowa without asking for directions, narrowing the possibilities even farther. All the evidence suggested you're Trowa, as he as always been incredibly polite and he would obviously know where his own house would be."

"You are more brilliant than you're often given credit for, Miss Relena. You're right—I am Trowa. But even Heero didn't believe anyone would find out."

"And Heero is in your body?"

"I can't explain to you why or how, but yes. Please understand that you must keep this a secret, even from Heero. If he found out you knew, he'd want to keep you locked up safely at headquarters for the next year." _Mars will be safe for her without causing Heero worry. Plus, he doesn't need to know that I failed at keeping our secret. _

Relena lowered her hands from his neck and squeezed his arms in a friendly manner. "I figured as much. My love has great enemies. To make life easier on all of us, I'm going to visit my brother and Noin on Mars for a few weeks. I've got business I'd like to attend to on the planet anyway. Heero protested me leaving for so long while he was here, so I might as well take the opportunity while it lasts."

"Thank-you. Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"No, I'm perfectly capable of driving myself these days. Someone from my office will pick up my car later tonight, so you won't have to worry yourself about that either."

"Then I'll help move your luggage to your car." After he had loaded up the backseat and opened the driver-side door for Relena to step in, a nagging inquiry entered his mind. "Why did you think I might be Duo too?"

"Because you pointed out Heero as being heterosexual, which means you must be homosexual or bisexual. Duo Maxwell was the only pilot I knew of as being of that sexuality."

"Oh." _Dang it, even she knew before I did!_

"And because he's waiting upstairs to talk to you."

"He's what?!"

Relena gave him a light kiss on the cheek before she shut the door. "Keep Heero's body safe for me!"

Duo was in the upstairs living room, ignoring the beckoning of expensive furniture to sit on the narrow sill of an open window. Trowa studied him for a moment before joining him, watching as an outside breeze caught a few stray hairs, blowing the long strands across the American's face. Duo's eyes were closed and relaxed as if asleep, but Trowa knew by the way he was holding himself on the sill with a tensed leg that Duo was anything but in slumber.

"Everything okay?"

Duo opened his eyes slightly, stretching his arms up in the air with a faked yawn. "What took you so long?"

"You could have helped Relena pack."

"Tried. Got scared off when she handed me a pair of panty hose."

"Why are you here exactly? Last night you told me you'd see me on Monday, which happens to be the day after this one."

"Not in the best of moods, are you? Listen, I was replaying all that happened yesterday and I don't think you and Trowa are just sick. Something bad happened."

"Confidential information, Maxwell. Have you forgotten what that means?"

"I told you to listen, not to backtalk. And don't get mad at what I'm about to tell you, alright? It may come as a slight surprise."

"Not much more will surprise me this week. I want to get some rest, so get to the point."

"You and Trowa have both been acting oddly since the mission. You're avoiding most activities you enjoy, not eating well, obviously not feeling well, and you're taking up a sudden interest in my romantic life. And Quatre talked to Tro today—"

"Quatre talked to him? When?"

"Quatre called him while I was waiting up here. Then he called me, concerned about the both of you. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he definitely said Trowa sounded different. And Tro wasn't even upset anymore about him dating Dorothy."

"And the reason you're telling me this is?"

"We're taking a week's vacation. All of us. Parkinson approved. Heck, he thought the idea was just downright dandy."

_Of course Parkinson approved. He wants us out of headquarters' shadow in case we blow our cover. _"Trowa and I act a little off, so we're all off duty for an entire week?"

"Paid week, by the way. We could all use a vacation. The fact that we actually have vacations now is reason enough. And when the rest of us see our two comrades struggling with an experience they have to hide, an experience that apparently hurt them badly enough to possibly reexamine their lives…What else are we supposed to do?"

Despite claiming he could no longer be surprised, Trowa was. This time in a good way which made his eyes cloud up with unfamiliar tears. "Thank-you."

"No problem, buddy. Now all we have to decide is where we're going. Wufei suggested the mountains, Quatre offered one of those oasis-desert places, and I opted for the beach. Trowa said he didn't care."

"Wufei and Trowa agreed to go too?"

"Wufei actually is the one who came up with the idea. He sprung it on Quatre and you know our Quat. Once a plan gets in his head, no-one can stop him. Trowa was a bit reluctant but he can't say no to Quatre." A hint of bitterness entered Duo's voice, making Trowa's fearful suspicions rise. "He's never been able to resist Quatre."

"Do you think…do you think Trowa has feelings for him?"

Duo shrugged and huffed. "How the hell am I supposed to know? Trowa never talks about romance, you know that."

"What does Quatre say about it?" _Please tell me he hasn't noticed. Please say he doesn't know. Please, Duo, if you really do care about me, don't break my heart again. _

"Same as usual. He can't read Tro any better than anyone else, despite being so close to him. He doesn't even know if he's gay! Wouldn't that have come up in a conversation at least once?"

"You don't proclaim your sexuality in front of m—Trowa."

"That's because I've got something to hide, don't I? Hiding stuff isn't against my personal code. Hiding isn't lying if he never asks."

"Suppose so." _What happened to Hilde? Does he like me only because I'm a mystery to him? I'm going with that. Maybe once I get my body back, we should spend more time together. Take away the mystery, take away the attraction. There's no way he'd like me in that manner if he really got to know me. We're too different. _

"I hope this trip will help him open up some though. He's been stuck down in the dumps lately. If he stopped being so stubborn and would talk to us about it, then maybe we could actually help him. We're his friends! Doesn't he get that?"

"Calm down. He knows that."

"Then what's been wrong with him?"

_He's lonely, that's what's wrong. Wait, where did that come from? I'm not lonely. At least, not all the time. _Trowa was saved from scrambling for an answer when Heero's cell phone rang from his pocket, displaying Quatre's name and number on the tiny lit-up screen.

"Hello, Heero! Has Duo told you about next week yet?"

"Quatre. Yes, he's standing right next to me actually."

"Good! Then you can tell him we've decided on the beach. There's a popular city on the coast not too far away that has several attractions in town, but with private beaches farther out we can rent for a while."

"Who is this 'we' that decided?"

"Wufei and I were debating when Trowa beeped over, having remembered the city as an interesting place the circus passed through while he was a performer. Considering there's plenty of diverse activities to do there, we agreed it was a good choice."

_Heero is ten times better at this game than I am. _"Alright, I'll tell him." Hanging up the phone, Trowa dropped it onto the windowsill. "Beach won out, Duo."

"Ooh, yea. Finally get to see Tro in a bathing suit."

"Hmph. Get him drunk and he'll probably go skinny-dipping with you." _I'd so enjoy teasing the crap of Heero if he did that. Of course, it'd be my body unclothed in the ocean with Duo. Ah, it'd still be worth it. _

"Really? He would?"

"He can't hold his alcohol."

"Aw, that's cute!"

"Did you just call him cute? He is a highly qualified former terrorist capable of destroying lives with numerous techniques, and you called him _cute_?"

Duo clasped Trowa on the shoulder with a laugh. "Wondered how long I could talk about him before I got on your nerves again! Now don't forget to pack up tonight buddy, because tomorrow we hit the road!"

"…Joy."

**To chapter four! Hopefully soon. And with it will come Trowa's discovery that Duo Maxwell is quite an attractive guy…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Why are these chapters so dang hard to write? It'll be easier once the romance comes in…and it will, I promise! Who can resist Duo Maxwell? **

**Well, technically, I can. But that's only because Trowa stole my heart the second I flicked on Gundam Wing the first time. When it was actually on air…all those…years ago.**

**Yeah, never need a reminder that I'm old. Or obsessed.**

Several years ago, when riding down long highways in a truck loaded down with illegal and violent cargo, Nanashi had amused himself by gazing into any civilian automobile which passed by. Quite a few were filled with families journeying over near-barren land to reach resorts Nanashi had heard existed near oceans he never saw. He had secretly wanted to leap into those cars, to join a family and ride off to a beautiful place. He had scorned the inhabitants of the automobiles who appeared bored, irritated—cursed them for being blind to all they were given.

But after being stuck in a jeep for five hours with Quatre, Duo, Wufei, Heero, eight bags of luggage, and a busted radio, Trowa suddenly felt immense sympathy for all those unhappy travelers. He didn't even get to drive. He was crammed in the backseat between an energetic Duo and a silent Heero. "Are we there yet?"

Wufei spoke from where he had his onyx head bowed over a series of maps laying in his lap. "About thirty minutes more, Heero. Not long."

Duo leaned his head out into the open air, breathing in deeply. "Can't wait to smell that ocean! Come on buddy, lighten up! We're on vacation. Which means you and sour-puss over there need to _relax._"

Stretching out annoying long legs and giving Trowa a 'how-in-the-hell-do-you-deal-with-these-all-the-time' glare, Heero groaned in Duo's direction. "I'm not sour. I'm sore."

Trowa nearly smiled, realizing what was causing the ex-pilot of Wing pain. His legs, the ones attached to the body he was born with, needed to be stretched thoroughly every morning to avoid cramping during the day. It was a minor price to pay for the power necessary in his lower limbs to leap high into the air at a moment's notice. Reaching down, he maneuvered the constricting legs to lie across the backseat. "Sorry, Duo. You'll have to deal with H—Trowa's feet for a while."

"No prob. What's up?"

Trowa started firmly massaging all the muscles he knew by experience would be causing the most tension. "Someone forgot to exercise when he got up." _I probably should have told him to do that. Yep, he's glaring at me. _

"I was slightly distracted by fish-breath in my face an hour before the alarm went off."

"Did you make sure Mayhem would be taken care of?" _If not, we're turning this blasted jeep around and going back. _

"Of course I did. Lady will be over every day after work with her daughter to feed and pamper the cat after they take care of Wufei's dog. Go a little lower."

"Cat, Tro? You have a cat?"

"Do you remember that kitten you and Trowa found behind the cinema? The one you wanted to take home but couldn't due to your landlord?"

"Trowa said he was gonna clean her up and take her to the shelter."

Heero grunted softly as the tight muscles finally relaxed. "Apparently, I grew too attached to her to let her go. Relena is secured as well?"

"She's safely on her way to Mars. Zechs and Noin are waiting for her arrival."

Wufei hurled a folded-up travel guide towards the backseat, not seeming to care that the projectile missed its targets and ended up in the floorboards. "Would you all be quiet? We're trying to concentrate up here before we get lost. Take a left onto the next road."

"Sorry, guys. But if we get there before sundown, we should have enough time to go to the city and visit their famous pier before they stop selling tickets. Tonight is supposed to be the least crowded night of the week. Plus, it's a fun way to start off our vacation! This left, Wufei?"

"That would be considered the next road, Quatre."

Trowa relished the silence which fell over the last few minutes of the drive, indeed catching a distinct scent of salt and seaweed as they closed in on their new location. With a bit of guilty amusement, he caught a few jealous glances from Duo towards where he was still massaging away his friend's ache. _How did I miss such huge hints before? Was I so caught up in Quatre that I didn't notice? Or did I really not care enough to know? _

Mercifully for them all, Quatre soon pulled up to a small white beach house resting only a few yards from the ocean, the only place of residence they could see on the expansive stretch of beige sand. Quatre jumped out of the jeep and ran towards the shore, spreading his arms and spinning around. The setting sun glinted off his golden hair, the brilliance of the gleam second only to his beaming smile. "Oh, it's beautiful! Look at those waves! They're huge!"

Forcing himself away from the entrancing sight, Trowa grabbed his bag from the back of the auto and followed the others inside. There was a living area with two cream-colored couches and slate-blue carpet which opened directly into a kitchenette with a four-person table. Sliding glass doors in the back opened directly to the beach. Set off the living area were two bedroom doors facing opposite of each other, one offering two beds and the other lending only one. Both bedrooms had its own seashell-bedecked bathroom.

When Duo claimed a spot in the smaller bedroom for 'better access to the air conditioning,' Wufei automatically threw his suitcase into the larger bedroom. "I'm not bunking with Maxwell again. I'll never forgive him for drooling on me when we were captured."

"Hey, they nearly broke my jaw before they threw me in with you! It's not my fault my spit couldn't stay in my mouth."

_I don't want to spend an entire week's worth of nights sleeping next to Quatre. How could I resist not touching him? Heero and I probably should share a room, but I'm not exactly thrilled about the concept of sleeping next to my own body either. It's creepy enough watching 'me' walk around and talk. And Wufei's too damn intelligent. Best to stay away from him as much as possible. _Trowa walked into the smaller room, dropping Heero's backpack on the dresser. "Are we heading out or not?"

Duo jumped after his best bud and patted his back with a wide grin. "You and me sharing a room just like old times, bud! Except, you know, we're not in a cell and we actually have a bed. Let me change into a tank-top because it's dang humid out there."

Trowa couldn't help but watch as Duo started to change, his curiosity getting the better of him. Unlike with the rest the ex-pilots, Trowa had never seen Duo out of long-sleeved clothing. Wufei instructed him in the martial arts in only silk pants, Heero had required extensive medical attention to his upper body during the war, and Quatre enjoyed swimming in the Olympic-sized pool in his mansion. But Duo seemed as attached to his priest's wear as he was to his turtlenecks.

Trowa tried to be discreet as he played peeping tom, using peripheral vision as he packed away a few items, but his efforts were shot the second Duo shed his shirt. Duo's collar bones were long and slender, somehow creating a gentle slope without losing any masculinity. Instead of the lazy boy's torso Trowa'd always expected to exist under his dark clothes, his entire upper body was well muscled—from the chiseled curves in his arms to the defined abs which flexed deliciously as he pulled his tank-top over his head. Despite all the muscle, he was still slender, right down to the narrow waist holding up dangerously low-riding black pants.

_Wow. Wait, dammit, Duo isn'__**t**__ supposed to be hot! _

"Hey, are you okay? You look flushed."

"Oh, he's fine. I mean I'm fine. I mean…I feel dizzy all of a sudden." _When does he work out? He's never in the gym. Was he packaged like that in the war? He can't be this sexy! He's Duo! _

"Go lay down on the couch before you pass out! I'll get you a drink, alright?"

"Okay." Trowa allowed himself to be directed back into the living room where he sat down and tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and wiped the sweat collecting on his forehead, panicking for a forgetful moment when he didn't feel his bang.

Heero took immediate notice of Trowa's swift change in manner with alarm. He whispered so only Trowa could hear and kneeled in front of him so no-one else could possibly read his lips. "What's wrong? Are you experiencing any side-effects from the compound?"

"No, it's nothing like that. Leave me alone."

"What's going on then? As a carrier of your body and a protector over mine, I have a right to know."

Trowa grumbled, shifting in embarrassment with a growing blush. "Why didn't you tell me Duo was gorgeous?"

Emerald eyes widened almost impossibly right before Heero roared with laughter, clutching thin sides with long-fingered hands as he toppled over onto the carpet.

"Shut up! It's not funny!"

"Yes…it is! You…have no…idea!"

Trowa lightly kicked at his tormentor when he didn't stop. "You're attracting a crowd, you know!" Sure enough, their comrades were all staring at 'Trowa' as if he had turned into a girl. _Not to give the geneticists who got me into this mess any ideas. _Heero struggled to turn his mirth inward, offering a simple shrug as answer to their unspoken inquiries.

"I've never understood the humor of introverts." Duo cautiously stepped over the chuckling mass on the floor, handing over a glass of water. "You, uh…you feeling any better? Ouch, pal, what happened to your arms?"

Trowa looked down at the dark bruises parading down both of Heero's strong arms, a testimony of their trip to the Preventers medical facility the day before. "Nothing serious. We have all had our share of these." _And he was cocky enough to say that __**I **__bruise easily!_

Quatre frowned and lightly ran his fingertips over the marks, eyes filling with concern when Trowa flinched under the contact. He held his palm over the worst bruise, gently running his thumb along the abused skin. "Do they hurt?"

Trowa jerked away, unable to stand the friendly touches on Heero's body when he once misconstrued similar touches on his own body as love. He drowned the contents of the glass to cover the waver of lips which occurs when someone almost cries. "Enough! I am not at liberty to discuss the conditions under which I acquired the bruises. Drop the subject and get ready to go to the pier."

Duo took back the empty glass and set it in the sink. "Crap Heero, you're getting as grumpy as Tro. He was only trying to help."

_I want to go home. _"My apologies, Quatre. Perhaps I remain anxious from the events in this past week. But I do feel much better and we should get going."

"No need to apologize—we can all guess at the strain you both have undergone." Quatre stretched a hand to Heero, smiling again as he helped him up. "Let's go and get your mind off of Preventers! We're bound to enjoy ourselves!"

Spending another half-hour in the mistreated jeep out of the driver's seat was not what  
Trowa would have defined as 'enjoying himself.' As soon as they reached the pier (which he thought really looked like a fair stuck out over water), he searched for the highest point in the vicinity. He took solace in heights, far away places where most people could not reach and most weapons could not aim for accurately. Where he could simply be an observer of life, not a participant in it.

"I'm heading for the Ferris wheel."

Duo craned his neck back to view the top of the contraption. The two-person buckets lurched back and forth as laughing teenagers and children were loaded in. "Looks rickety. You sure you want to get on that thing?"

"The instability is part of the charm." _I'd prefer to go by myself, but now at least I won't be placed with a stranger._

"Riiiight. Well, you're not going all the way up alone." Duo turned back to the rest of his companions. "Anyone else going on?"

Wufei snorted. "I believe I speak for everyone when I say we'd rather keep our feet on the ground."

"Then why are you on a pier, genius?"

Quatre quickly stepped in before the hot-headed 'genius' could reply. "We'll meet up with you two at the picnic tables. It'll be a wise idea to eat before we exert too much energy."

"Always the peacemaker, Quat. We'll catch up with you there." Duo slung an arm around Trowa, leading him merrily towards the waiting line. The wait was graciously short since they were still loading passengers. The ex-terrorists were soon sailing through the air in a wide circle, creating a soothing breeze in the heated atmosphere.

Suddenly, the Ferris wheel grinded to a halt. "We're stuck!"

Trowa peered over the opposite side, quickly analyzing the bulk of metalwork attached to the steel web of the wheel, then the operator's stand. "The machinery is fine. The employees must keep business exciting with these gimmicks."

"One spot away from the top too. Guess there's nothing for us to do but kick back and relax. And spy on Wufei trying to figure out how to eat cotton candy."

"Guess so."

Inhaling deeply the salty humidity, Trowa turned his gaze to the dark sea far beneath the pier, the glittering black expanse reaching out for miles to the horizon. The stars were not bright, but the moon gave off enough of a glow to reflect on the sea below. When he focused hard enough, the carnival music and the shouts from below disappeared under the sounds of the powerful water slashing against the wooden pillars thrust deep into the ocean. _The sea is beautiful like you said, Quatre. But it's also violent and lonely. So much emptiness in the water, even with all the organisms it sustains. So much like in space, floating in-between the stars. _

Trowa looked back over to the pier, watching the happy civilians run from ride to ride, from booth to booth amidst the colorful orbs of artificial lights. _I prefer them. I prefer what humanity has made. What we nearly gave our lives for. _

"Can I ask you a question?"

Trowa snapped out of his daze, remembering his seatmate on the wobbling bucket holding them up dozens of feet in the air. The serious expression on Duo's face made him grow uneasy, unused to the hardness currently showing in blue-and-violet eyes. "Are you scared?"

"What, of this thing? No. I used to climb to the top of the Maxwell Church and stand on a little-bitty ledge all night. But I am scared of what's going on between you and Trowa."

"Once again, we can't give you any details about the mission."

"It's not about the mission."

"Then what?"

Duo sighed, fingers nervously tapping metal bar holding them in. "You practically were caressing his legs on the way over. You're whispering to each other. You even made him have the giggles!"

"So?"

"Be honest with me. Are you two in love?"

Not able to help himself, Trowa burst out laughing. _No wonder Heero had trouble stopping his laughter earlier. It feels so good to laugh like this—openly, freely, not holding it in._ He questioned when was the last time he had laughed out loud, not stifling it or repressing it into a smirk. "Definitely not. I'm straight and taken by a fanatical woman, remember?"

Duo visibly relaxed, playfully rocking back and forth so the bucket did the same. "Just making sure! Gotta know who my competition is."

"Trowa's single. You don't have any competition." _That's a depressing fact. Let's change the subject. _"Why did you climb up to the ledge when you were a kid?"

"To watch the night lights of the colony. As dirty and shabby L2 appeared at any angle during when the overhead day lights were on, it was beautiful during the late hours. Didn't always sound that way, but if you could block out all the sirens and shouting, sitting up there was the only peaceful part of my day. Sister Helen always had a fit when she found me though."

"Now you sound like Trowa." _Just like me, actually._

"Really? How?"

"He takes pleasure from looking over the city lights. Spending his childhood on Earth and fighting as a mercenary, he didn't get to see much except for rural camps and battlefields. When he first saw L3's night lights, he…fell in love with the sight, I guess."

"He should move in with me! He'd have a better view of the city. But he'd hit the ground running the instant he saw my dirty underwear on the floor."

"Only if Mayhem was running off with them. Oh, we're moving again."

Once freed from the wobbling bucket, Trowa tried his best to appear happy as he was herded all the way down the wooden walkway and back again. As happy as Heero ever appeared, anyway. After eating a hot dog and toasted almonds, accompanying a scared little girl on a ride which bored him completely, showing Wufei the proper way to eat cotton candy, and winning Quatre several stuffed animals at the booths, acting content became easier. _Guess I really did need a vacation. Too bad I had to become a lab rat to finally get one. _

When the gates closed behind them and the lights started systematically shutting off, Trowa felt slightly sorry they had to leave behind the tourist attraction so soon. But as he failed to fight off a yawn, therefore sending the group into a yawning fest, he admitted that a restful night's sleep would do him well.

Back at the beach house after a much-needed cool shower, Trowa opened the window at his roommate's request so they could be rocked to sleep by the sound of the waves breaking. The natural lullaby reminded him of the conversation they had shared on the Ferris wheel, perhaps the longest he had ever held with the braided-haired man.

"Goodnight, buddy!" Duo leapt onto the single queen-sized bed in their shared room, jumping around on the mattress before snuggling underneath the crisp sheets. Trowa turned off the light and carefully navigated to the opposite side of the bed. Remaining on top of the covers, he studied the blackness on the ceiling while his active mind refused to grand him the slumber he dearly desired.

_Heero was right—Duo and I do have a few things in common. We're messy. We love the city. And we both think the other's hot, apparently. I'll never love him the way he believes he does me, but we can at least be friends. _Trowa rolled over, facing the lump laying in the dark next to him. "Hey, Duo?"

A groggy groan rose from underneath the comforter. "Hmm? Wha yoo want?"

"Sweet dreams."

"Mm. Sweet dreams, Heero."


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, keeping Trowa and Heero and Trowa's body and Heero's body straight is rather confusing at times. (Well, Trowa isn't very straight, but you know). I hope it all isn't too confused for you readers and wonderful reviewers! My apologies if it is so. No wonder this particular corny plot is normally reserved for television…**

**Btw, I hate the academic world and its time-consuming natures. **

**More Duo love in this one, dear readers. More to come.**

Trowa woke to someone actively shaking him on the shoulder, jostling him out of Quatre's loving arms back into reality. Judging by the long braid he felt laying across the covers on top of him, he could blame Duo for ending his pleasant dream. He peeped open his borrowed blue eyes, wincing immediately as the morning light burned after hours of darkness. Squinting at Heero's wristwatch, he groaned and threw the comforter over his head. "It's too early. Go back to sleep."

"I've been trying! Turn on your side!"

_I don't like sleeping on my side. _"Why?"

"You're snoring! Turn over!"

"No. If you want me to turn, you'll have to push me."

"Fine then."

Much to his astonishment, Trowa found himself a mere two seconds later laying face-down on the floor, tangled up with the sheets which had been shoved off with him. "You did not just do that."

"I've been awake half the night listening to you conversing with the ships with your foghorn. I'm exhausted! So yes, I did just do that and if you have a problem with it, come back up here and face my wrath!"

Trowa curled up on the carpet with the discarded sheets despite the heat already warring with the room's air conditioner. Guilt threatened to make him sulk, not having meant to interrupt Duo's restful holiday. "If I stay on my side, can I rejoin you? I've got all the covers down here."

"Alright, but if you start snoring again, you'll be sleeping in the couch for the rest of the trip."

"Mean. Trowa snores too, you know."

"Trowa's snores sound like snores. Your's sound like a sick cow's mating call."

Smirking, Trowa climbed back onto the mattress. _Can't wait to tell Heero what he's been compared to this morning. Heero sleeps on his back too, but I guess he breathes through his mouth so he doesn't snore. Or is it through his nose? Never before had to think about how he breathes as long as he __**was **__breathing. How do I breathe? _Settling uncomfortably on his side, he brought the covers up and shared him with his grumpy bedmate. "At least we're allowed to sleep late with no work to go to."

"My only condolence. Shut up and sleep."

They woke up again at half past noon when an incredibly chipper Quatre burst into the room and sprinkled freezing ice chips onto their faces, chiding them both for being so lazy when there were so many fun activities to get done. Duo made quite the amusing spectacle chasing and beating the apologetic millionaire around the beach house with his pillow.

Once the pair created a peace treaty, thanks mostly due to the pillow becoming too tattered to serve as a proper weapon, everyone sat down to a breakfast of sandwiches. (Or lunch, as Wufei sharply pointed out when Duo protested the lack of bacon, eggs, and pancakes). The last one to the four-person table, Duo bypassed the nearby stool and decided to sit in a seat already taken. By Trowa.

Trowa frowned as his sight was blocked by a braid, a problem he would not have to deal with if he had his advantageous height back. _Not that he'd sit on me in my own body anyway. I'd bet money that Heero's silently laughing at me right now. _He poked the mass of brown hair in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Eating a sandwich."

"Get off."

"No. It's your fault I overslept. What's your excuse for snoozing past the morning?"

"I'm recovering from a mission and a traumatizing road trip. Get your ass off of me."

Duo smiled and wiggled around in his best friend's lap, taking his time as he positioned himself more comfortably. "No can do. If I get off, I'd have to find a seat away from the table. I'd be the outcast! The weakling on the edges ready to be gobbled up by predators! You wouldn't do that to a buddy, would ya, Heero?"

Trowa couldn't help but blush as Duo squirmed against him, forcing him to realize that he needed to forcibly remove the boy he had earlier deemed as 'gorgeous' or he'd have a lot to lie about. "Yes, I would." Picking up the now pouting ex-pilot, he dropped Duo into the lap nearest to his on the left. Which, ironically, happened to be the lap he owned only a few days before. _Ah, revenge is sweet, Yuy._

Heero nearly choked on his bread as Duo was practically shoved into his chair, instinctively wrapping his arms around the stunned American to ensure his safety. Trowa was pleased to note his was no-longer the only one blushing as Duo's cheeks rapidly turned a bright crimson.

"S-sorry, Trowa."

Heero swallowed calmly, shooting Trowa an emerald-hued glower. "Don't worry, Duo. I can sit on the stool so you can have a spot. I need to stretch out my legs anyway."

As Heero gently pushed off Duo and walked over to the small counter where the stool stood empty, he gave Trowa a hard pinch on the shoulder, sending little tingles of pain down his arm. Trowa secretly sneered at him while Wufei and Quatre were busy hiding their laughter in their napkins, earning a roll of the eyes…eye…in response. _That is creepy. I need to cut my hair._

Wufei cleared his throat, keeping his lips into a straight line as they kept threatening to turn up with mirth at his loquacious friend's expense. "If you are all done fooling around, we can eat and get to the water."

Poking at his food with a lingering pink stain on his face, Duo tried to act as if nothing had occurred. "You're not supposed to swim after you eat."

"There are various activities at the ocean to enjoy other than swimming."

"Ooh, Wufei, you're naughty! Didn't know you'd go for sex on the beach."

"Maxwell! Just because your mind happens to be in the gutter doesn't mean the rest of us think that way!"

Duo swung back some orange juice before placing his plate in his lap and resting his feet upon the table. "No, that means the rest of you only pretend never to think that way. At least I'm honest about my perverted nature."

"Honesty you do have, Maxwell, if not tact."

"Tact is overrated. Tact turns nice guys into stuck up bureaucrats."

Quatre patted Wufei's hand and Duo's feet at the same time, shaking his head with a mixture of amusement and brotherly concern. "No fighting over a meal, please. We're here to benefit from each other's company."

"So says the one I beat up with a pillow. But alright, I'm open for a truce until we bring out the water guns." Duo yawned, wiggling his toes periodically over the table as they finished eating in quiet peace.

Once their stomachs were satisfied and their dishes cleaned, they went into separate rooms to dress in their swimwear. Trowa went into the bathroom while Duo closed the door to their bedroom, taking an unsuccessful moment to figure out how to fold up a spandex tank-top in respect to Heero's obsessive tidiness. Deciding instead to throw the top onto the counter in an unceremonious green heap, he completed the rest of the change speedily.

Heero's trunks were a light blue in color, reminding Trowa of Relena's eyes, therefore making him shudder with disgust. He wanted his red ones back—no stalker he knew of had red eyes. Stepping out of the bathroom, he allowed himself a good long look at Duo's scantily clad figure, appreciating the small black swimming shorts on the long, toned legs. He had to stop himself from asking if Duo needed help applying sunscreen in all those delicious hard-to-reach places. _What's getting into me? He's Duo for crying out loud. He may be striking, but he's the same obnoxious sarcastic loudmouth I knew before. Just with more of the facts filled out, making him more likable and approachable. And he fills out those shorts pretty well too…_

"You need something, Heero?"

"Huh, what?"

"You're staring at me."

"No. I'm not. I'm lost in thought. About Relena. My lover. Because I'm her lover. I'm going out now." _Smooth. _Speedily exiting their bedroom, Trowa ducked behind Heero as the latter was gathering up beach towels in the living area, speaking low. "Infiltration I can do. Acting I can't."

"Only eight more days, Barton. Adapt."

"Your advice used to be a lot more effective during the war."

"My brain was a lot bigger back then."

"…Jerk. At least my snores don't sound like a sick cow's mating call."

Heero had only a moment to raise one visible eyebrow in faint curiosity before Quatre bounded merrily over to them both, clasping onto 'Trowa's' towel-filled arms and pulling him outside. "Come on! The ocean has been waiting for hours! You'll bring the net, won't you, Heero?"

"Sure thing." As he dragged the heavy volleyball equipment from a well-stocked closet while sneaking glances towards Quatre and Heero walking away together, Trowa fought back the instinct to pull his body back indoors. To cover up the bared pale skin away from the eyes of his friends. It wasn't as if they had never seen him in a lesser state of dress before. When situations demanded, he would dress in more revealing outfits than normal—such as for the circus or for infiltrations. As far as muscle-to-fat ratios went, he had little to worry about. He was intimidating for the acrobatic acts and fit enough to join in any military faction.

But he hated his scars. Every experienced soldier had their share, of course, but none of the other ex-gundam pilots had them quite as bad as Trowa. Where they had trained in relative safety under the eyes of protective instructors or doctors, Trowa had been trained by fire, avoiding the eyes of Alliance soldiers. By the time he was completely adept at avoiding enemy shots, he was already sporting his share of jagged, vicious scars. Although, in all fairness, that was all before he turned seven.

Propping up the net not too far from where the towels had been laid, Trowa tried to clear his throat in a casual manner, gaining Heero's attention away from Quatre. "Are you sure you won't wear a shirt? I…you burn easily now."

With a smirk, Heero whispered, "No thanks. Duo's been looking forward to this since we arrived."

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better." _At least he'll get over me quicker when he realizes I'm disfigured. _As Heero turned back to the shore, Trowa winced at the red mutilation on his back, right over his heart. _Damn, it's even worse from this point of view than in the mirror. I don't even remember how I got that one. _He wished Heero's scars were more visible than thin white lines.

Perhaps he'd feel less like a freak.

As he was studying the scar, he noticed Heero's stride. _He's moving like himself. Sturdy, feet far apart, and shoulders pulled back. _He copied the gait, gaining momentum quickly but stopping in his tracks when Heero fixed him with a hard gaze.

"Why are you walking like that?"

"I'm trying to walk like you!"

"You're moving like you've got a stick in your ass."

"That's how you walk!"

"Is not."

"Yes, it is. Now stop making me march like a brute. You have to pull the steps in closer together. Use my hips. They're flexible."

Heero swung narrow hips from side to side experimentally, glancing at Trowa for validation. "Like this?"

"Um…forget I said anything."

"How am I supposed to do it?"

"No, really, forget it. Duo's out now and you don't need to be advertising my butt region."

Heero burst out laughing for the second time in twenty-four hours.

Leaving behind his amused ally, Trowa entertained himself for a few hours. He walked along the border of wet and dry sand, catching an occasional piece of smoothed glass or sea shell when one would tumble onto his world from the dark one beneath the waves. As the collection in his mesh pocket grew, he would occasionally hear a burst of perfect laughter from Quatre, a sound which had reminded him of the sun even while in the darkest of space. Holding a blue-green piece of sea-glass tightly in a palm squarer and stronger than his own, he decided to question the blue-and-green eyed heir while he had the disguise of Heero's appearance. To do so would risk further heartbreak or having Heero find him jeopardizing their cover, but he knew he wouldn't be able to move on without having answers.

And he desperately wanted to move on. He had failed in his mission to start a relationship with Quatre and soldiers were trained not to obsess over failed missions—admittedly lesson none of them had mastered very well. He waited until Quatre was alone, reclining on a towel with a novel in hand.

"May I talk to you?"

Quatre sat up, setting the paperback aside in friendly concern as Trowa sat beside him. "Of course, Heero."

"Did you ever have romantic feelings for Trowa?"

"That was abrupt! Did Duo put you up to this?"

"You can say one member of our company is curious. If are uncomfortable about the topic, we can drop this discussion."

Quatre chewed on his bottom lip for a minute before answering, seeming to weigh each word before he said them. "I loved him for a short time, during the war."

"Only during the war? Why didn't it last?"

"Trowa and I fit together well as friends. Simply as friends. I knew before we met that I'd never be able to date another male seriously. My family demands a woman capable of bearing sons and educated in the political realm. Plus, as perfect of a best friend he is, he is not what I need romantically."

"What do you need then? What couldn't Trowa fulfill?"

"Someone to fight with me mentally, to challenge me spiritually. To force me to become more of a man than I am right now. Trowa showed me I could become more by nearly sacrificing himself for me during the war. But Dorothy helps me to become more by not allowing me to slip into complacency. Do you understand?"

_You stopped loving me because I love you exactly as you are? Because I believe you're already amazingly kind and intelligent? Because I'd never want or need you to change yourself for me? _"Yes, I understand. Do you think Trowa ever held romantic feelings for you?"

"Duo's really driving you to put up the third degree, isn't he?"

"Hn. He's already questioned if Trowa and I were involved."

Quatre laughed softly, taking a sip of spring water from a neon pink bottle beside his chair. "How cute. But as I have repeatedly told Duo, I can't read Trowa's personal feelings. Whether or not he's ever felt that way for me, I have no idea."

_Good. Now the world gets to watch as I lie my ass off. Or Heero's ass off. Not that he has much of an ass. _"And as I have repeatedly told Duo, Trowa has never mentioned to me carrying any feelings towards you or any other male. In honest opinion, since fact remains elusive, I don't believe he's ever cared for any of us in that manner. If he does look or is looking for love, it would be more typical of him to search for a lover with no connection to his past. A fresh start, so to speak."

Golden hair glimmered as Quatre shook his head. "Such a shame. Trowa could find true happiness in Duo. Perhaps you could inspire him to…?"

"No."

"Alright, but know that Trowa would listen to you before anyone else. He admires you."

Immediately embarrassed by the apt assessment of his own feelings, Trowa stood up and stretching, attempting to quietly signal the end of the conversation so he could make a quick getaway to the shore. As he started to walk off, he was startled at Quatre's pulling him to a standstill by the wrist. "What is it?"

"Just as a warning, you may need to guard your actions around Duo."

"Why?"

"I'm not supposed to tell, but he's been attracted to you since the pier yesterday. He confessed this as a backhand comment, but it's a delicate matter all the same."

Trowa faintly wished he could see himself at that moment. He wanted to know how Heero looked dumbfounded, open-mouthed, and bug-eyed. "Huh?"

"Ever since that mission, you've been acting increasingly more considerate and gentle towards your friends. Duo naturally gravitates to those who demonstrate hushed compassion as a counter to his loud cynicism." Quatre's previously smiling face tugged down into a frown. "You and Trowa both have been acting so differently since that mission. He's more reserved while at the same time more open with his heart. I can feel that. You're more open with us all, but you're heart is closed off when it used to radiate with your emotions."

"You make it sound like we switched personalities. We're simply working through a difficult experience in our own way. Stop over-examining and enjoy your vacation."

"Mm. I suppose you're right. Promise me you'll come to us if you need support, though? We are all here for you."

"I promise."

"Your bruises are worse today than yesterday."

Finally wrenching his grip out from Quatre's soft fingers, Trowa walked back towards the beach house to where Duo was supposed to be taking an undisturbed nap. The echoes of the waves only yards away seemed to exist in a separate world as his mind scrambled to process all the information his blond companion had just thrust his way.

_Duo really does love me. Even when I'm trapped in Heero's body, he loves me. He's attracted to Heero because I'm in Heero. _Trowa stood under the shower head positioned near the beach house to wash off sand and sea salt, letting the cold flush of water calm him down. He wasn't sure what to be more surprised over—the deepness of Duo's affections or the plain fact that someone even carried deep affections for him. _When Quatre told me he was dating Dorothy, I thought no-one could ever love me. I believed Quatre could be the only one who had the emotional capacity, the heart big enough, to find anything worth loving in me. But he's not. I don't have to be alone._

Pulled by a force to find the braided-haired man, as he was before to converse to his lost love, he continued inside, remaining dazed as he found Duo leaning on the windowsill of the living room. The stance reminded him of when Duo visited Heero at the latter's home two days beforehand which seemed an eternity away. "You're not sleeping?"

"Nah. Tried to for a while but it was too quiet in here. Stupid, right? Can't sleep because of noise then can't because of the lack of it."

"That's not stupid, Duo. And I'm sorry for keeping you awake last night. I promise to stay on my side for the rest of the week."

Duo smiled softly, still focused on the scenes playing on the sand. "Deal. And don't worry—it's not like we've gotten many restful nights in our past. Sleeping next to you snoring is better than bunking next to a stranger."

"True. Are you watching the tide?"

"Nope. Watching Trowa."

"What about Trowa?"

"His scars to be specific."

_I knew they would repulse him. _"You think they're ugly."

"Quite the opposite, actually. You don't like scars? Guess they're less attractive on girls than men. Never really scoped Hilde out for any."

"You seriously find his scars attractive?"

Duo moaned softly, leaning further out the window and closer to the body he was admiring from afar. "Oh yeah. They're freaking sexy."

Trowa felt a fluttering in his chest which he immediately pushed down, only to have the sensation jumble about in his stomach. "You should tell him that one day. He's insecure about them."

"Really? Why? We've all got them."

"He has more."

"Mmmmm." Duo rested his arms on the sill and watched as 'Trowa' competed against Wufei at volleyball. "I've counted eighteen so far today, though some of those are kinda small. Took a lot of careful scrutiny on my behalf to spot 'em. Wonder if there's any under those shorts."

_Two, actually. _"What's so appealing about them?"

"Masculinity, strength, edge, all that yummy bad-boy-ness. You all forget too easily that our graceful circus clown was a down-and-dirty mercenary once upon a time. Makes me wonder if he's an animal in bed. Oooh, I hope so."

A flush stole across tanned cheeks for the second time that day as Trowa melted with both mortification and unfamiliar delight. "Duo!!"

"Please, since when are you a prude?"

"Since you started talking about Barton that way!"

"You usually gag me with my dirty socks or something. Not blush."

_He's talked about me this way a lot? _"There's not any of your filthy laundry within reach. And you were doing some blushing this morning."

"Ahh!" Duo buried his face in his hands. "Don't remind me! He thinks I'm an idiot. Why in the galaxy did you go for his lap and not Quatre's?"

"Didn't pay attention to whose chair I was going for. Not that I could see much over your hair. Trowa didn't seem to mind anyway—give him some credit. He doesn't believe you're an idiot."

"You positive about that? Has he said something?"

The hope lighting up the violet tints in Duo's eyes made it impossible for Trowa to stay in character, to break down the Shinigami's spirit with honesty. "He said you were very physically attractive. Turns out, he's lately been exploring his sexuality."

Duo leaped away from his sightseeing beaming gleefully, popping a quick kiss on his fellow ex-pilot's nose before running out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Maybe he wants to team up with this physically attractive guy!"

_Team up? Oh, volleyball. _Trowa caressed the tingling on his nose…Heero's nose…where Duo's warm lips had pressed fleetingly. _Hmm. My first kiss from a man and it wasn't even designated for me. Might as well follow him to the game. Someone has to keep score. _


	6. Chapter 6

**It's been a long time, for which I apologize. Not sure why I stopped writing for this fic and even more so why I've decided to install another chapter after a year's passing. It's going to go in a different direction than I originally thought, but yes, Trowa and Duo are still going to fall in love. (Like anyone expected any different).**

**So if anyone out there still wants to read this fic after its extensive hiatus, please enjoy! Sorry for the language and heavy dialogue towards the end!**

**Note: I do not own the Disney movie Dumbo, from which the lullaby "Baby Mine" originates (but seriously, go listen to the Allison Krauss version on YouTube). And I still do not own Gundam Wing. But I do own an adorable Trowa Barton action figure and I'll be happy with what I've got.**

Maybe once or twice a week, they would fear going to sleep. All the events described as "back then," "during the war," or "before we won" during the day, could suddenly come to life again thanks to a nightmare's powerful reach into the mind's memory. Any old "back-then" fear could suddenly become a current terror.

Quatre dreamed roughly more often than his comrades. Due to his empathetic capabilities, he frequently picked up his friends' nightmares on top of his own. And despite his usual loving demeanor, waking up after a bad night left him cruelly angry and nearly inconsolable in his self-loathing. He could assure himself Trowa had not really died by his hand as the dreams would lead him to believe, but no amount of searching would bring back to life his okht Iria or his baba. Or the colonists he had slaughtered in his madness.

Duo always sought out company after a nightmare, which led to many late-night phone calls to the other ex-gundam pilots. He did not take up much of their time, just enough for a few light-hearted comments from a familiar (if perhaps groggy) voice to prove he had successfully journeyed back into reality.

You would have to personally know Heero, know him very well, to recognize when he was in the midst of a bad dream. He never whimpered, never shouted, never even tried to fight off whatever plagued him when his eyes were shut. Only his right index finger would twitch as if repeatedly pulling a gun's trigger. He never talked about what he saw after he woke up, but he would always take Relena's hand in his when she was there to offer it.

Wufei screamed. Occasionally the screams were the names of his fallen clan members, most often of these being the name of his wife, but his worst nightmares didn't deal in memories. They dealt in phobias, igniting him with Nataku's fire or burying him alive in a premature grave. He would calm himself through mediation after each dream, but he would never go back to sleep until the sun rose again.

Mercifully, Trowa rarely found himself caught long in any dream, much less a nightmare. He supposed his lack of deep dreaming stemmed from his sleeping habits as a mercenary when he usually slept in rotating four-hour shifts. As a child he was either too exhausted to stay in the lighter stages of sleep or too anxious for his next shift that he stayed half-conscious of his surroundings. Nowadays he slept on a much more comfortable schedule, one allowing him to take up a routine habit of snoring. But still, the majority of nights slipped quietly past, perhaps leaving him with a sweet image or two of Quatre upon waking.

Although on those rare occasions when he did have a nightmare, it was enough for him to dread the next one coming. A cautionary shot of alcohol usually preceded the next night's laying down in bed.

So when Trowa awoke in a small beach house on the Atlantic coast to the frenetic thrashing of his bedmate, several seconds passed before he realized what Duo was struggling against in the otherwise empty darkness of their room. Reaching over, Trowa gripped Duo's shoulder and attempted to shake him awake. "Come on, Duo, wake up. It's not real." When the repeated shaking and reassuring murmurs failed to stop the other's thrashing and cries, Trowa pulled Duo into his strong arms and talked directly into his ear. "_Duo_! Wake up!"

The lean body in his arms jerked then stilled. "H-heero?"

Trowa was surprised to feel wet streaks penetrate the cloth of his borrowed nightshirt. On an instinct he didn't know he had, he started rubbing Duo's back soothingly. "…Yeah. You okay?"

No answer came, only a cringe when a distant clash of thunder arose from a sudden storm brewing outside, moving towards them on the sea. "Gonna get bad out there, do you think? Good thing we closed the window."

Soldiers raised on earth had little trouble differentiating the roars of thunder versus the explosions of bombs or detonating mobile suits. Thunder _rolled_, naturally echoing against air fronts above and the lay of the ground beneath_. _Citizens used to the controlled climates of the colonies could rarely tell the sounds apart. At least, not in the first couple years of residing on earth. Trowa shrugged as best he could while lying on his side with a full armload, remembering an old adage from his captain. "The thunder's just telling the lightening to stop turning the lights on."

A minute of silence and Trowa nearly let Duo go, thinking he had fallen back to sleep, but Duo soon started rattling on as if he didn't just wake up in a cold sweat and colder tears. "Sister Helen used to tell me the angels were bowling. You know what bowling is?" Trowa did have a faint idea, but Duo didn't wait for an answer. "She said the biggest booms were when an angel got a strike. Not because more pins fell down but because the angel danced around in victory. Heh, but I still got in trouble when I stomped my feet in the balcony. And when I used the good drinking glasses as bowling pins after the church basketball went flat."

Trowa laughed quietly, more than a little relieved to hear Duo laugh too. "You must've been a handful."

"Would've been if I'd had let them catch me."

Another cringe as another clash of thunder barreled over the waves outside. "Do you want to talk about it? Your dream?"

He felt Duo turn deeper into the dip of his shoulder (a dip not as sloping as it used to be), the long-haired man's words coming out muffled against his neck. "It's stupid. You'll laugh."

"I'm not going to make fun of you for having a nightmare."

"You might once you hear what it was. You know the grim reaper—black cape, scythe, bone face, empty black mouth?" This time, Duo waited until his friend nodded against the top of his head before continuing. "Add a little more detail, maybe a little blood dripping from the scythe, maybe some rotting flesh still attached to the skull, and you've got the guy who was chasing me through some twisted-ass version of L2's streets. And they're already bad enough in real life, so that's pretty damn twisted."

Trowa wondered faintly if the decomposing, boney skill looked like a rotting version of Duo, who was a self-proclaimed Shinigami, but Trowa thought it best not to ask. "You were chased by your personal version of death. I'm not finding anything stupid about it."

"A 'personal version of death'? Do you have one?"

Trowa scrambled for an image or a person Heero would have found terrifying, but he honestly couldn't create anything he believed would scare the ex-pilot of Wing. _Guess I haven't been acting like Heero so far anyway. Heero would have turned on the light, gotten Duo a drink, answered a few trivial questions about storms and Wufei's love for green tea, then gone back to bed. _ He decided to use the truth, half-hoping Duo would forget this whole mess in the morning. "This information stays between us, but when I was young I got run down by a Boerboel on Alliance property."

His bedmate grunted in sympathy. "Never tell Trowa. I think he's afraid of dogs."

The absence of moonlight streaming through the window covered Trowa's smirk. "You're probably right."

"What do you dream about, Heero? Besides the guard dog?"

"Alliance soldiers. The ones I didn't manage to kill." Trowa suddenly found himself not wanting to talk anymore, surprised he had admitted so much already. "Now try to get some sleep—who knows what activities Quatre has planned for us tomorrow. I won't let death chase you any more tonight, okay?"

"Okay." When Duo didn't move back to his side of the bed, Trowa figured there were worst ways to sleep than huddled next to a person you were beginning to consider a close friend.

The next morning's after-storm grey sunshine woke Trowa up to a quiet house and empty bed, allowing him to question if last night's events actually happened. Or more precisely, if he had actually _allowed _them to happen. _Quatre already warned "Heero" of Duo's growing feelings for him…me…whatever. Guess serving as The Braided Wonder's personal teddy bear didn't help. _But Trowa couldn't bring himself to regret comforting a fellow ex-soldier in need.

Stumbling out of bed, he assumed his friends were already outside near the beach although the water after the turbulent weather would be chilly and full of dangerous undercurrents. He ignored Heero's red swimsuit drip-drying in the bathroom to scout for a clean tank-top and pair of jeans, smiling at the memory of Duo chasing his former body around with a bottle of mysteriously appearing tequila, trying without success to tempt "Trowa" to drink and therefore skinny-dip._ Poor Yuy. Nah, wait, he's still a sucker._

Going outside, Trowa saw someone had built a fire. Three logs of driftwood formed an incomplete square, leaving the forth side open to the water so no visitor would have their back turned to the sea. After rolling up the cuffs of the jeans so they wouldn't gather sand, Trowa joined the group surrounding the small camp, sitting next to Heero who was holding a stick over the flames. _He shouldn't do that. Not as me. Fire has always me uncomfortable, though I'm not sure why. But no-one else knows that, so it doesn't really matter, does it? _"What are you doing?"

Heero smirked, brushing back his newly acquired bang with his free hand. "Roasting hotdogs for breakfast and trying to figure out what normal people do on vacation."

Trowa wrinkled his nose, not particularly a fan of hotdogs. He reached for a few bananas from the bunch gathered in a grocery bag near Quatre's feet. "We've done a good job at being normal so far."

A perfectly composed Duo batted away a trail of smoke floating in his direction, the only occupant of the log facing the shore. "Eh. Normal meaning we haven't shot, been shot, or threaten to shoot?"

"I seem to remember plenty of water guns last evening," Wufei pointed out in amusement. "Even Heero joined in, although his aim has gotten worse since he stopped carrying weapons."

Finally lying across his seat to get away from the pestering smoke, Duo nodded while waving his overly blackened hotdog up in grey-tinted air. "Yep, Pilot Zero-One is going civilian on us. Trowa was pretty dead on, though. Someone's been practicing after hours!"

Ignoring the snickers Heero was barely attempting to hide, Trowa glared viciously at his accusers, although for reasons completely opposite of those they intended. "We're right here. Don't talk about us as if we weren't. The issue at hand does not involve guns but how we should spend our day as tourists."

Quatre pouted and boyishly tapped his chin in thought, hardly appearing the successful millionaire businessman the media portrayed him as being. Trowa tried hard not to look, having always found the Arabian most attractive when acting like a young man instead of a hardnosed corporate mastermind. "Well, we could spend more time playing here as long as no-one goes too far out in the water. Or we could go back to the city. Revisit the pier, go souvenir shopping, stop by the boat museum…Hmm, what do customary families want to do when they go on vacation?"

Wufei snorted. "If we're a family, please tell me I'm adopted."

Duo laughed, nearly rolling onto the sand. "No, no! I like it! Heero's the daddy 'cause you can't go against what he says, Quatre's the momma 'cause he's a mother hen, Trowa's the mature older brother, you're the second kid suffering from middle-child-syndrome, and I'm the youngest because I'm the cutest."

"Most juvenile, you mean." Wufei reached into the grocery bag and threw a banana in Duo's direction. "You're failing in the culinary arts, Di di."

"Did you just call me Deedee?"

"Di di means little brother in Mandarin."

"Oh!" Duo smiled, ignoring the banana to bite off a chunk of charcoaled meat. "Speaking of things to do, I could go for a solid meal. Fresh lobster dipped in melted butter and a loaded baked potato, mmmmmmm!"

Trowa swallowed a mouthful of fruit. "I'm with Deedee. None of us are great cooks and a lunch not comprised of sandwiches or cold cereal would be appreciated."

"Great! So we head to the city, find a nice seafood restaurant, and then do some souvenir shopping? Explore the town?"

No-one disagreed with Quatre, throwing the remains of their half-eaten breakfast into the fire and heading towards the jeep for yet another half-hour of crowded travel. An hour later over his alfredo pasta, Trowa watched his 'family' attempt to eat a civilized meal, laughing into his napkin when Duo started playfully attacking a squealing Quatre with snapped lobster pinchers. Wufei was scrambling to keep dishes and glasses from being knocked over, yelling at them to 'knock it off,' but trying not to smile all the same. Trowa tried to Heero's gaze over the table, only to start laughing again when he caught Heero stealing bites of the preoccupied Wufei's jambalaya. He quickly filched a spoonful of Heero's clam chowder, earning a one-eyed mock-glare for his efforts.

_This is nice. Why was I so lonely before we took this trip? No, why did I __**think**__ I was lonely? Because I don't have a romantic partner? _Trowa shook his head of unruly brown hair, disgusted with himself. _I have more than I ever thought I'd have. As much as we joke about it, we really are a family. No-one else in the galaxy can sympathize with what we've been through, what we had to do to save humanity._ He gazed where Quatre was giggling over his calamari, warring against Duo's lobster with rings of fried squid._ I don't have to be wrapped in his arms to love him. And I still do love him._ He supposed he always would.

When their waiter had cleared away their plates and easily bribed them into dessert, they took a few minutes to tour the restaurant's gift shop, sorting through smooth seashells and beautiful dried starfish. Trowa was grinning over a star bedecked with gold glitter, reminded of his sister's favorite earrings when Duo tapped him on the shoulder. "Hmm?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute? Out back?"

Trowa set down the starfish, dusting stray flecks of glitter off his hands. "Sure thing."

They walked outside and off the porch attached to the kitchen at the back of the restaurant. This area of the beach was grassy, boasting a fading split-board fence far above the high-tide mark meant to keep tourists from using the sandy lot of business-owned seafront. Trowa took in a deep breath of already-familiar salty air. "What did you want to talk about?" _Threaten me never to tell about last night's dream? Punch me for wrenching so many private admissions out of you? Alright, you can try, but you already know how Heero's jaw is made of steel. Possibly gundanium. _

Duo's fingers had clamped onto the end of his braid, picking at the loose strands nervously. "I wanted to thank-you."

"Thank me? For what?"

Blue-and-violet eyes joined nimble fingers in focusing on abused split ends. Duo's voice came out in such a mumble Trowa had to strain to hear him, even with Heero's sharp ears. "For holding me until I woke up again. No-one's ever helped me like that."

"Come on, Maxwell. I've gotten your four am phone calls plenty of times." _I think. Right? I've even gotten a few and I know Quatre's gotten at least a dozen._

"Yeah, but you've never protected me before outside of a battle. Or told anyone about your nightmares either."

_True enough. Heero and I are both cautious in the art of revealing our deepest fears. _"No problem, alright? Don't worry about it. Now let's go back inside before we're missed." _Or before Heero overhears and kicks my ass._

Duo shocked Trowa by suddenly letting go of his braid and gripping what Duo believed to be Heero's shoulders. "No, I want to really thank you. And if I don't do it now, I'll never get up the nerve again."

Before Trowa would ask what in the world he meant, Duo had pressed their lips together in a kiss. _Ohhh…_And before he could give in to the sensation, the lips against his were gone.

Trowa had never been kissed before. He had been bedded by others, taken to bed several more. But like shaking hands, mercenaries only kissed when you trusted or loved the one you were with. Flicking his tongue across Heero's lips, Trowa drew in Duo's lingering taste. _Almost sweet. _He wondered if Duo's lips were really as soft as they felt, or only seemed that way because of the strength beneath Heero's skin. He gently brushed Duo's mouth with Heero's calloused fingertips. _I think they really are._

"You…You're welcome."

Blushing heartily, Duo drew back. "Soooo…yeah, better get back to the gift shop. They're probably ready to leave anyway. You know…" Duo made an embarrassed shrug, turned, and walked quickly again to the restaurant.

Lips still tingling and heart pounding faster than he'd admit, Trowa slowly followed the retreating American indoors. He quickly realized he shouldn't have worried about Heero learning about his and Duo's secret heart-to-heart because Heero had all his attention sternly focused on the shop's large television screen, placed above the check-out counter. Noticing how the color had drained from Heero's borrowed skin, Trowa immediately pushed away all thoughts of soft kisses and focused on the newscaster's voice over the din of the patrons.

"…where fifty-year-old prominent geneticist Emil Baur claims to be a nineteen-year old teenager named Jacqueline Banks, baffling his family and friends otherwise overjoyed by his return. Missing from his home for three years, Baur claims he escaped after being held hostage by Renovo, an organization bent on world domination. Has this scientist truly gone mad?"

Trowa's cheerful heart sank the same instant his trained senses became hyper-aware of his surroundings. _Twenty to twenty-five diners, eight to ten members on staff, three visible exists, knife strapped to right leg, possible weapons of silverware and kitchen utensils…Quatre's by the front exit with a pistol in hip holster, Wufei's beyond the door with long dagger sheathed on hip, Duo's heading for the jeep with pistol in ankle holster…_His rapid inventory stopped when he felt Heero's cold fingers brush his.

"They messed up. Banks escaped."

"Lucky for us." _If we hadn't seen the broadcast, we would have continued to play right into their hands. But what is their play? What do they want with us?_

"Trowa! Heero! Are you coming?" Quatre called cheerfully from the door, concern evident in his eyes but not in his voice.

Heero whispered down into Trowa's ear. "We'll talk about this tonight. We may be being watched so act normal until everyone's asleep then meet me on the beach. I'll contact headquarters when the opportunity arrives."

Trowa nodded a mere fraction of an inch, put on a smile, and lightly chided Quatre for being impatient. For the rest of the evening, he tried to perform well enough to avoid more concerned questions, but he didn't concentrate or care enough to notice how he fared. He was constantly on the look-out for possible spies; he was constantly taking inventory of possible weapons; he was constantly making sure his friends stayed within view. And he was worried about Lady Une, Sally, Catherine, and Mayhem. All those beings he cared about but were out of his reach.

It was after a blushing and unusually silent Duo finally fell asleep that a dawning realization finally hit Trowa. He was silently pulling on Heero's ugly yellow shoes in the dark bedroom when he remembered nudging Relena's baggage with the sneakers, reading the Designated for Mars tags attached to the pink ribbons on the suitcases. _It was too easy. Relena's acceptance of me being in her lover's body, her casual demeanor towards me, a practical stranger. Her escape was wrapped up in a nice little package—convenient trip to Mars, don't even worry about picking up the car. Even the confirmation from Zechs and Noin waiting for her arrival was probably faked. Unless they've got Zechs and Noin too._

_Heero was right. They want the world leaders and now they've got Relena._

Trowa stealthily ran out of the beach house to where Heero was already waiting on the shore. Without giving his friend a moment to start talking, he plunged in and revealed everything he had grasped in the past few minutes. As he spoke, he watched with a guilt-wrenching twist how the horror slowly built up on Heero's angular face. _I'm so sorry. I should have known, I'm sorry._

"What did they do with the real Relena? And what is the imposter doing while we're supposed to believe she's with her brother?"

For one of the few times in his brief but already long life, Trowa felt completely helpless. "I don't know, Heero. I'm sorry."

"Are they baiting us with her? Baiting me?"

"We weren't their main targets. Relena as Vice Foreign Minister was." Trowa remembered feeling saddened by the empty words Parkinson used about them standing for change and revolution. "The gundam pilots once were symbols capable of inciting hope or fear, but the gundams are gone. All that's left are five kids. Barely more than teenagers now."

"Then why did they specifically target the five of us?"

"Distraction. We might not be celebrated heroes, but we're still talented agents and they know it. Look where we are, Heero! Instead of stopping Renovo and rescuing Relena, we're on a beach in the middle of civilian country struggling to adapt to new identities and new bodies! Our friends so worried about us they aren't even aware a new war could be starting!" Trowa dropped his voice, realizing he was getting close to shouting. "We're completely in the dark on this one."

"On this one, Trowa? Are you taking Renovo on as a mission?"

"Forgive me in feeling possessive about the peace I nearly died trying to create. Hell yes, I'm in to win. But you'll have to start killing again if you join me."

"I know. For Relena I will."

Trowa wished Heero would find a more extensive reason to fight. _But we're not receiving orders from command central anymore, so I can't tell him to be the perfect solider again. We're not acting as soldiers, or terrorists, or agents, or mercenaries. Hell, we're not even getting paid._ "Who can we trust? Renovo has penetrated Preventers, who knows to what extent. All of our medical records, our mission logs, our addresses are on file in Preventer databanks. We don't even know if what Banks…Baur…told us about our body switch is true." _We might not ever get our real bodies back. I might be stuck as Heero Yuy forever._

"I tried to call Headquarters earlier, during a trip to the bathroom. No answer. They may be in lockdown or someone there may be trying to protect us by not answering." Trowa agreed with the assessment. A Renovo spy would have answered a let them believe nothing of importance had occurred. "We can't trust anyone. We're on our own."

"What about the guys? How do we know Quatre, Duo, or Wufei haven't been switched by Renovo too?"

"We two are aware of situation which allows us to see how differently we act in comparison to our assigned roles. We'd notice now if any of the others had changed similarly in the relatively recent past. Our charade has only gotten so far because we know each other well—how many people beside us know them well enough to take their place? And would they, knowing it could put them in danger?"

_Relena's switch only succeeded because I don't know anything about her, not really. _"True, but I'd feel more secure knowing beyond a doubt."

"You're right." Heero turned to the crashing waves and Trowa let him find a level of mental clarity appropriate for the perfect soldier. "We cannot be sure Renovo preformed these experiments with positive results only recently. They could have been in operation during or immediately following the war. We need to get them to validate personal information gained from them during the war which would be considered offhand or confidential."

"What do you mean?"

"A few months…a few months after the battle against Libra, I wound up drifting to the colony where Duo and Hilde were staying. I was…I was bad off." Trowa watched as Heero swallowed thickly, pale throat emitting a strangled breath. _He's pretty bad off right now. _"I was sick. Duo took me in for a few days before I drifted off again. Once when I woke up from a feverish sleep, he was singing—not to comfort me, but to comfort himself. 'Little one when you play, don't you mind what they say. Let those eyes sparkle and shine, never a tear, baby of mine'. It was a lullaby Solo had taught him before he was taken in by the Maxwell church."

Trowa nodded, catching onto the idea. "If he sings the wrong lyrics or claims not to remember, I'll knock the impostor unconscious and lock him in our bathroom."

"Good. What about Winner? You know more of his secrets than anyone."

A minute passed slowly as Trowa pondered possible questions for their remaining friends. "Got one for him and Wufei. When Quatre and I met for the second time in San Francisco, he invited me to stay in his hotel room. On the dresser was a vase full of copa de oro, the California poppy. He said the color of the blossoms—a bright yellow-orange—reminded him of his first bedroom after leaving his family's nursery. Ask him what color were the walls of his first bedroom."

"And Chang?"

"When Wufei first failed to defeat Trieze, he let me shelter him at the circus. In mine and Cathy's trailer, he saw a porceiln doll she keeps on her bed. I thought he'd make fun of a young adult woman keeping a child's trinket but instead he straightened the thing's dress. He said he once kept a doll in his study growing up because the painted face looked like his mother's, but his late wife broke it on accident. At the time I thought it was odd he'd already be a widower, but I forgot the incident until now. It was his anguish allowing him to speak of the doll in the first place, otherwise he never would've admitted such weakness to a stranger like me."

"Good. Now, what was the color of the gondola we sailed in while searching for the Noventa family?"

Trowa unconsciously put his hands on his hips in defensive confusion. "What the hell does have to do with…" _He's making sure he was switched around with me and not some random scientist pretending to be me. Couldn't he have figured that little fact out already? Even while angsting he still wins the "most anal retentive terrorist" award. _"Light pink and it started to leak halfway down the canal. What was Catherine knitting when you first woke up from unconsciousness?"

"A blanket for a newborn foal from the performing horses. She named the animal after you because it failed to behave anyone but its mother. What symbol made you feel lonely while you were a mercenary?"

"A shooting star. What physical attribute did you long for as a kid?"

"Wings. Enough—we are who we believe the other to be. Let's get started on the others."

Trowa reached out and caught Heero's now-narrow shoulder, halting him before he got far back to the house. "No. I know you want to get started right away, but they will approach the situation with clearer heads in the morning." _Give them one more night. One more night to be a normal family._

Tears had collected in emerald-hued eyes, scaring them both. "I understand."

**And the sixth chapter comes to a close. Hearts and hugs!**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's here! And it's late—again. A bit of recap in this chapter as it is a confusing plot for the writer. Thanks to all those faithful reviewers! I'm glad the return of this fanfic has been enjoyed. (And if anyone has ideas of how to continue it, please feel free to suggest…)**

**Nereid Airfield is an imaginary place of my own creation (hey, I actually own something in this fic!). The title "Nereid" was used because, like Triton, Nereid is one of Neptune's thirteen moons. And for some reason, every time I think of Neptune, I think of Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon…but she can't have Trowa! He's mine! Or, um, Duo's…**

After convincing a reluctant Heero to lay down for the night, tucking him in like a child next to Quatre underneath generic cotton sheets, Trowa dragged himself back to the room he shared with Duo. He peeled off the ugly yellow sneakers and half-heartedly shook the gritty cuffs of his borrowed pajama bottoms. _Next time we go on vacation and find out we've been manipulated by super-intelligent terrorists, let's pick somewhere with less sand. Or we could really make it easy for the jerks and take a retreat to Venus. _Sighing, he tired to dismiss pessimistic thoughts from his head as he reunited with his pillow, but to no avail. _Now I'm calling Renovo a terrorist organization. A few years ago the Alliance was calling __**me**__ a terrorist. What's the difference between a terrorist and a freedom figh—_"Ah!"

"Sorry, Heero!" Duo's hand quickly retreated from Trowa's shoulder back to his side of the bed. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Trowa took a deep breath to decrease his suddenly rapid heart rate. He was convinced the worst part of inhabiting someone else's body wasn't the moment when you scared yourself glancing into a mirror, the level of disorientation gained every time you stood up, or even the incredible embarrassment of wiping your friend's ass after you used the toilet. The worst part was relying on someone else's heart to beat for you. The mere idea of using Heero's organs Trowa squeamish—not a feeling he was used to in the least. "It's alright. How long have you been awake?"

"I heard you get up and bolt outside. Looked like you and Heero were discussing something pretty deep out there."

Trowa ignored the dueling concern and jealously evident in Duo's words. "Did you eavesdrop?"

"No! Sheesh, just because I'm a loudmouth doesn't mean I can't respect when two people want a little privacy. And here I was all worried about you and Tro to the point I couldn't go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything. It's been a bad night."

"Nah, I'm sorry. You know I'm grumpy when I don't get enough zzz's. Are you alright?"

"Not really, no. Uh, hey, Duo? Do you remember when you and Hilde took me in for a while on L2 when I was sick? Can you sing that song for me again?" A minute passed with no answer and Trowa started to tense. _Please be Duo. I can't…What? I can't what? Take any more stress? _

"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart,  
never to part, baby of mine…"

_Good. That's the lullaby. He doesn't have a bad singing voice either, definitely better than Heero's. Or, rather, mine. _Trowa wasn't sure if he should stop Duo from continuing to sing, especially since the song held special meaning which he had chosen specifically to pass on to Heero, not to Trowa Barton. But when Duo wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close to his chest, Trowa drank the comfort offered like a drowning man.

"From your head down to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows, but you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine…"

Waking up alone again the next morning, Trowa couldn't remember falling asleep. Swallowing past the lead in his throat, he dressed and met the others in the kitchen where they were in the middle of assembling a breakfast of half-blackened toast and completely blackened rice. He caught Heero's visible eye and Heero gave him a tiny nod, which he returned. _Well, they are who they say they are. I should be relieved but now we have to let the cat out of the bag._

"We have a problem." At what they believed to be Heero's voice, Quatre stopped scraping burnt bits off the toast, Wufei stopped grumbling about their poor survival skills, and Duo swallowed the rest of his orange juice in a loud gulp. The smiles disappeared and the relaxed postures stiffened. _Amazing. They've been waiting for this._

They sat around the table, Heero pulling up the stool so they could join in a tight circle. Trowa waited for Heero to begin, but was only met with his silence and the curious stares of their fellow ex-soldiers. _What, does he think I'm able to break it to them any less bluntly? Hi guys, guess what? We're minor characters in some sick author's twisted science-fiction story, except this author plans to take over humanity. _"I guess you've all been interested in our last mission, why we've been so affected." _Damn, this is hard. _"We have evidence suggesting…proving…the genetic-engineering organization based in old Europe has gained enough power to become a global and colonial threat."

"What kind of evidence?" Wufei frowned in a display of mounting tension. "The last we heard, that organization red-flagged for performing experiments on live human subjects. Certainly reprehensible, but not worthy of world concern."

Trowa shifted uncomfortably, brushing back a bang no longer there. "They have successfully created a process that can switch the minds of two individuals." The gawks he received did not help his unease. "No, I'm not kidding and we haven't been dropped on our heads."

Duo scooted closer to him, appearing as if he still expected someone to offer the punch line. "You mean like brain-swapping? Putting Person A's brain in Person B's body and vice versa? Heads in jars and cackling doctors shouting 'It's alive!'?"

"We're not completely sure as to how it's done, as the information we were fed about the procedure did not come from a reliable source." Trowa watched as Quatre's hand flew to his mouth, the aqua eyes above shifting rapidly from Heero to himself. "Tell me what you're thinking, Quat."

"What I'm thinking is impossible." Despite his words, the Arabian leaned over and felt along the curve of Trowa's brow. Trowa closed his Prussian blue eyes and let Quatre's gentle fingers trail along eyebrows too thick, a nose too short, cheeks too rounded, and lips too broad to be his own. He shivered under the calluses still present on Quatre's fingertips despite the years gone by since piloting a mobile suit. And as he had done once on Millardo's _Libra_, he let down the walls surrounding his heart and _reached _without lifting his hands. Whatever empathic gift lay in Quatre's soul met him halfway, filling him with warmth having nothing to do with the morning sun beaming through the porch's sliding doors. _Found you._

"Oh, Trowa! My Trowa…" Quatre's fingers stilled and his voice wavered, on the border of tears. "It is you."

Trowa opened his eyes and tried to smile. "No need to cry. I may be a bit uglier, but I'm still me."

Taking a brief moment out of his anguish, Heero hit Trowa across the head with Quatre's paperback novel which had been conveniently resting on the table. "Trowa and I were ordered to the base outside of Berlin. After our arrival we quickly and incorrectly concluded the building was unoccupied. We fell into a hidden room where we were shot with darts and where Trowa took out the present scientists. The next morning, I was in Trowa's apartment with his hangover and Trowa was in my house with...he was in my house."

"Who is Renovo? Do you have the darts or any data you retrieved from the base?" Wufei asked, obviously trying not to impolitely stare at his two possibly insane comrades.

"No, everything was handed over to Headquarters. The organization has named itself Renovo. We would have told you sooner, but Heero and I only realized Renovo's true capabilities yesterday. According to a news broadcast shown in the seafood restaurant we ate at yesterday, a teenage girl escaped from Renovo and is trapped in the body of famous German geneticist Emil Baur, previously considered a missing person."

Duo's tone was strangely subdued. "So where's this girl's body if her brains are in Emil Baur?"

"Emil Baur is using Jacqueline Banks' body—" Trowa was cut off at Wufei's surprised gasp. _Of course he's familiar with Preventers' head geneticist. His girlfriend practically lives in the HQ labs. _"As one of our scientists at Preventers. They've infiltrated and thanks to their methods, we have no idea to what degree. We believe they are after world leaders and prominent political figures. We have suspicions they have already caught and switched Relena, most likely on the night when they switched me and Heero."

Heero stood up from the stool, lips pressed together in a white line. "They toyed with us for distraction. Trowa and I have decided to act against Renovo and rescue those leaders already kidnapped. We could use your help."

Wufei instantly jumped to his feet, glowering up at Heero, not deterred by the new height difference between them. "Yuy, you have vast impudence to assume this battle is yours alone. We all have loved one we've swore to protect who are now in danger." Duo and Quatre nodded their agreement and Heero sat back down on the stool, relief evident on his narrow features.

"You realize we can't trust anyone. Trowa and I had to test you all before we could divulge what little we knew: the orange paint, the doll, the lullaby."

Quatre rubbed at his temples, all trace of playful young man and even triumphant millionaire gone. What was left was the leader they had all followed during the war, the leader who had forged five stubborn, solitary fighters into a team. "We can trust each other and for now, that will be enough. Give me an hour to plan. In the meantime, think of a random codeword so we can test each other's identity in the future."

"So you believe us?"

Duo answered Heero's question. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Kinda hard not to now."

Trowa grabbed a few pieces of toast and the last banana, planning to head outside and remove himself from everyone's way. He noticed Heero was doing the same, filling a bowl of rice and starting a solitary walk down the beach. _Quatre, Wufei, and Duo have a lot of hard information to swallow. Our presence would only make it harder. It's not exactly settling to look in someone's eyes and see another man staring back._

He sat down on the shore, just out of the reach of the water, and ate his breakfast. _I don't like playing the hired gun, but it's a relief not to be in control anymore. It's easier to follow orders than to make them. _He didn't envy Quatre his task, but he admired his blond-haired friend even more so for effortlessly taking up the mantle of command again.

_Quatre probably knows I love him after playing twenty-questions with him on the beach. Duo certainly knows I know he loves me. _Trowa's brain entertained the delightful idea that Dorothy might have been switched with an evil seducer with the sole purpose of winning Quatre's heart and wallet, but his rational training quickly dismissed the notion. _He's probably thinking about her now…I should be focused on Renovo. The international threat to mankind. Not my dismal love life._

He watched the morning waves rise out of the ocean to pound at the sand, taking the earth with them a few grains at a time. _Humanity could kill itself and the ocean wouldn't notice. It's already seen the rise and fall of a billion species. _He waited for the sun to move into the next hour's position. To his relief, no-one tried to disturb him.

Quatre called them back to the kitchen table at ten, which had quickly turned from their dining area to their base of operations. "What we do first is leave the beach house. We may have been sighted here and we need to find a place with quicker access to transport. Heero…" Quatre quickly corrected his gaze from looking at Heero's body to looking at Trowa's. "Heero, you're best with geography. Find us a safe house close to a nearby airfield, preferably one with low security.

"From there, we'll separate. Wufei, you'll go back home and find out what's going on at Headquarters. If there's anyone you think we can trust, get information from them but give no information back. Trowa and Duo, you'll return to the base where Trowa and Heero were shot with the darts. See if you find any leads about the transformation, where Renovo is operating now, and where they might be keeping Relena. Heero and I are going to get Jacqueline Banks from Emil Baur's home in Old Germany. Take a week at most to complete the task and return to the safe house. We'll figure out what to do next from there."

Efficient as always, no matter in what body or under what kind of emotional duress, Heero located Nereid Airfield in a city approximately eighty-five miles inland. Taking only the gear they believed necessary, therefore leaving behind all sun-and-surf playtime equipment and packing all possible weaponry, they filled up the Jeep's gas tank and headed west. On the way they shared their chosen code words, which were to be spoken again only after completing their missions in order to insure identities. Heero's word was kuma, Duo's was Bluebeard, Trowa's was conifer, Quatre's was cavallieri, and Wufei's was lychee.

Nereid turned out to be in an old Romefeller base which had been taken over by the new government after the war. Like many old army bases, the facilities had slowly fallen into disuse. _No mobile suits means no mobile suit transport. Bad news for pilots everywhere, but the scrap metal workers are in a booming business._ The five ex-gundam pilots camped out in the abandoned overnight barracks while tinkering with two small transport jets, restoring them to safe flying form.

For the three days it took to gather all the necessary information and prepare the aircraft, Trowa kept himself busy. He hacked into the city's property records and created a false document stating a private company bought the airfield for recreational use, just in case civilians in the nearby residential areas started questioning the noise of the aircraft. He helped Heero fuel up the jets and take them for test runs. He broke into the base's kitchen for can foods. He drew up floor plans of the Renovo base from memory. He stole a new tag for the Jeep since Wufei would be driving it back home instead of flying. He kept an eye on Heero's emotional status. He avoided Duo like the plague. He avoided Quatre like a naked female sociopath. The latter tasks were not easy since Quatre and Duo were also keeping watch over Heero's worried heart._ Plus Quatre's also got to make sure Heero doesn't jeopardize the mission to rescue his lover. War is an easier game to play when you don't care about the pawns used to play it. _

When zero hour arrived, they all said their goodbyes with a fearful warmth Trowa knew could be a weakness if they allowed it. After getting the jet into the air and programming the base's coordinates into the autopilot came the part of the flight Trowa dreaded: hours of sitting next to his no-longer-secret-admirer. He snuck a glance to the co-pilot's chair, where Duo slumped, chewing his lower lip. _Don't think of how those lips kissed you a few days ago. Think of something to say. Anything to say. _"Been a long time since you spray painted an Alliance jet?"_ Damn, I sound like an idiot._

Duo immediately brightened at the question. "Yep! Got to tap-dance on the GPS too. Who said flying covert is an act of sophistication?"

"Um…certainly no-one who saw your evil clown face plastered over OZ's lion emblem."

"Thought it might strike fear into the hearts of any plane who'd be tempted to communicate with us."

"What if I'm offended? I used to work in a circus."

"Evil clowns don't rescue poor kitties out of a dirty alleyway. Speaking of, I'm surprised you took her in. Wish I could've. But you know the Preventer apartment rules—no pets unless they have gills and weigh less than five ounces."

"Why not get a goldfish then?"

"Have you ever tried to hold a goldfish? The fish-store owner starts wigging out and yelling at you, then you accidentally splash water on the floor because you're surprised you're getting shouted at in a pet store, then you drop the fishie because you slide on the water on the floor…it's a big, complicated mess. Trust me."

"Ah." Trowa cleared his throat uncomfortably as another long moment of silence settled between them, jumping a little when Duo suddenly started talking again.

"You told me you were going to take the cat to a shelter, but you kept her."

"I didn't plan to. Working for the Preventers doesn't allow for much quality time for a pet—being gone for days at a time, a chance of dying with any mission, early mornings, late evenings."

"Tell me about it. I've been debating with myself whether or not to catch some tadpoles. Hilde had some and they were kinda cute, 'though you had to release them after they sprouted legs and it got kinda boring watching them swim. Which is all they do. Swim and swim and swim. Eat green slime and swim again. Poop while they swim." Duo cleared his throat. "And I'm babbling and babbling. So why did you keep her?"

Shrugging, Trowa checked instruments on the panel which didn't really need to be checked. "The shelter wouldn't take her until she reached a certain age. I had to feed her kitten formula in a miniature bottle every four hours for three weeks." He found himself smiling at the memory of the scraggly bundle of grey fur sitting on his chest, falling asleep with a full stomach. "I ate my lunch at home so I could feed her and took sick leave when I was approached with a mission. A few times I even snuck her into work when I didn't think I could get away during the day. When she got old enough to give to the shelter, I couldn't stand to part with her. She's my baby."

Duo's quick hand laid over Trowa's square one for the briefest of seconds. "You're worried about her, aren't you? You know Lady Une will still check in on her, even with the possibility of war approaching. Something about being obsessed with duty and honor…Wufei's rants get to people after a while."

"Yeah, I know. I mean, I know she'll still care for her, not about Wufei's rants being invasive. Even if they didn't, Mayhem's food and water containers keep enough supplied for a month. But I don't want her to get lonely or trapped up in something. Plus, she's very picky about having a clean litter box." Trowa didn't mention the possibility of Lady Une no longer being the woman he first met while infiltrating Oz.

"Eh, so she'll crap in your shoes instead of in her sandbox. Why'd you name her Mayhem anyway? Surely not in mock tribute to the devastatingly handsome American who bravely rescued her from a short life in the cinema's dumpster."

Laughing out loud, Trowa looked Duo in the eye for the first time since revealing the truth about his identity. "I found out the hard way she loves to rip up tissue paper. I have to hide all the toilet paper rolls under the sink."

Duo laughed with him and his smile lingered. "I can't believe we're having a real conversation. At least having a conversation when I know it's you. It's really nice."

"It is nice and I'm sorry we've never done this before. I want us to be friends." _Real friends, not just two unfortunate veterans who are stuck hanging out together because our mutual pals organize it that way. We need more than going to the movies once every blue moon. _"Maybe you could teach me how to play video games, if we get out of this Renovo mess intact."

"Well, beating your butt in a virtual world would be fun and all, but…" Duo propped the heels of his boots on the windshield, making his co-pilot cringe momentarily out of respect for cockpit protocol. The smirking blue-and-violet eyed man held up his hand and started counting off his fingers. "You've let me kiss you, you've indirectly admitted to thinking I'm attractive, you've indirectly admitted to possessing an open sexuality, you've popped off a few heart-to-hearts, and you've cuddled with me in bed. Twice. Sorry Tro, but high expectations have been set. I'm not gonna settle for just friends."

Trowa fought down a rising blush and glued his gaze to the clouds streaming outside the plane. "You're not ticked at me for lying to you?"

"Nope! Relieved actually. Thought I was crazy, starting to lust after Heero's flat ass…"

The blush rose and the clouds continued to get more and more interesting. _Great. Just great. Now I've got to fight off Renovo AND Duo Maxwell._

**Poor Trowa! Wait, do I actually feel sorry for him? Um…nope! ;) **


End file.
